tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229Wed, 18 Feb 2015 14:52:33 +0000John WayneTyrone PowerErrol FlynnAlfred NewmanCharlie ChanHammer FilmsChristopher LeeBela LugosiGeorge SandersRandolph ScottRobert MitchumBoris KarloffCharlton HestonDimitri TiomkinJames StewartMax SteinerMiklos RozsaWarner OlandBette DavisClaudette ColbertDebra PagetGene TierneyHenry HathawayHumphrey BogartJames CagneyJoel McCreaPeter CushingSidney TolerTCMTerence FisherVictor MatureAlan LaddBetty GrableChristmas moviesClaude RainsClifton WebbDouglas FairbanksEdmund LoweErich Wolfgang KorngoldFay WrayGeorge ZuccoGregory PeckHarold LloydHenry DaniellIda LupinoJerry GoldsmithJohn BrahmJohn CromwellJohn FordJohnny DeppJr.Judd ApatowLaird CregarLoretta YoungMary AstorMatthew VaughnMichael CurtizMichelle PfeifferMorris AnkrumRaoul WalshRita HayworthRobert DeNiroRobert TaylorRobert YoungSam KatzmanStardustThe Three StoogesTrue Gritfilm noir2008 Academy AwardsAcross the UniverseAdolphe MenjouAdventurelandAdventures of Robin HoodAlex NorthAlexis SmithAlfred HitchcockAndre MorellAnita LouiseAnn BlythAnna May WongAnne BaxterAnne HathawayAudrey TotterBasil RathboneBig JakeBrian TylerBroderick CrawfordBuster CrabbeBuster KeatonC. Aubrey SmithCary GrantCelebrity MeetingsChristian BaleClassic CinemasComfort moviesCyd CharisseDavid HedisonDavid NivenDeborah KerrKevin's Movie CornerMy thoughts on recent movies I've seen in the theaters or watched on DVD. Based on a lifetime of movie watching with no prejudices: black and white or color, silent or sound, Hollywood or foreign, old or new.http://kevinsmoviecorner.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Deany)Blogger304125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229.post-7913248693279661979Mon, 19 Jan 2015 17:24:00 +00002015-01-19T09:28:19.167-08:00The Best and Worst of 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gJ6VShiJPzU/VL08S8_sbiI/AAAAAAAACaU/B_C1JdC-spQ/s1600/2014007-spectre_1024x1517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>I'm going to be in my grumpy old man mode for this post, but I thought 2014 was a pretty mediocre year at the movies, especially for mainstream titles. There were very few movies I was genuinely enthused and passionate about, and the year was further proof that the pleasures of narrative story telling is a lost art. <br /><br />I saw 112 2014 releases at the theater or on DVD. Despite my current freelance employment status, it's not as expensive as it sounds, as a first-run multiplex just minutes away from me offers $4.50 ticket prices until 6 pm. and $7 in the evenings. I'm also fortunate to have a large number of second-run theaters within a reasonable drive time at $4 a ticket with unlimited refills on any size soda and popcorn. If you don't mind waiting a bit, there's a third run theater chain in nearby Bloomingdale that offers tickets for $1.75 ($1 on Tuesdays). Independent, foreign and art films are shown at the wonderful twice monthly After Hours Film Society at the Tivoli Theater in Downers Grove, which is close enough for me to walk to in the nice weather. <br /><br />Despite my lack of enthusiasm for much of this year's offering, going to the movies remains a life-long habit and one I don't see quitting any time soon, but I must admit my enthusiasm is waning.<br /><br />I know I've griped about this before, but I'm rarely out and out entertained at the movies anymore. Most of the comedies are cringe-worthy, to say the least, generating more uncomfortable groans at the gross-out humor on display than any wit or the sense in how to build a gag. I know the days of Lubitsch and Leo McCarey are over, but does it have to be that way? <br /><br />I remember leaving a packed theater following a week night showing of VICTOR/VICTORIA (1983) and DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS (1988) and it seemed as if everyone, strangers all, left the theater nodding happily to each other, grinning ear to ear, like we we were all new best friends who had just enjoyed the world's greatest dinner party. It's been years since I've experienced that coming out of a new movie. That used to be a regular occurrence, but it rarely happens anymore. <br /><br />Several of the year's biggest hits left me unimpressed. I enjoyed GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY up to a point, but a final battle scene that seemed to go on for ages put it on the debit side for me. <br /><br />The third and final Hobbit movie was probably the most tolerable of the three, but that's like being the tallest of three Hobbits. In the long run, it really doesn't mean anything.&nbsp; (The things I see as a Christopher Lee completist. Sigh). <br /><br />TO KILL A MOCKINGJAY: THE HUNGER GAMES III or whatever this snoozefest is called, bored me to tears. It could be talkiest blockbuster I've ever seen. Now talk is a good thing, but not here, with all line readings bordering on the catatonic. I enjoyed the first movie, and the second to a lesser extent, but this latest one was pure agony.<br /><br />These movies may play better in marathon viewings with their previous films, but my main complaint with these films, such as DIVERGENT and THE MAZE RUNNER, is they're mainly exposition, building up to the next film in the series. Background has replaced narrative. DIVERGENT was especially guilty of this, with seemingly two hours of exposition and endless training sequences until the main plot kicks in for the remaining 20 minutes which, in turn, will be (somewhat) rectified in the next installment. It's like paying money to see a play but we only get Act 1. These aren't movies anymore, they're guidebooks. These have all been proven successful, so I'm afraid the trend is here to stay for awhile, but it's a trend I don't welcome. <br /><br />Many of the critical favorites left me somewhat cold as well. BIRDMAN I appreciated for the acting (across the board superb) but the end result I found more exhausting than exhilarating. I'm not a fan of this intense, in your face style of moviemaking, but many are and they got more out of it than I did. I was sincerely glad when it was over. <br /><br />I should have enjoyed THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL more, but it was a little too cartoony for me, Still, I welcome the chance to see it again, and was puzzled by my reaction to it, as I've enjoyed other Wes Anderson movies and this is the kind of movie I generally like.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0ZVMRDgaHY4/VL08IV2gBSI/AAAAAAAACaM/uzPDkO_VpW8/s1600/2014Skeffington3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0ZVMRDgaHY4/VL08IV2gBSI/AAAAAAAACaM/uzPDkO_VpW8/s1600/2014Skeffington3.jpg" height="320" width="244" /></a> <br /><br /><br />When things got dire at the local theater, there was always the joys and pleasures of classic movies. The happiest classic film re-discovery of the year was MR. SKEFFINGTON (1944) starring Bette Davis as Fanny, a vain, silly, stupid, vapid woman who lives her life thinking only of herself, until it's almost too late. With Claude Rains (never better) as the title character, her husband, the aptly named Job, and a stellar supporting cast including Walter Abel, Robert Shayne, John Alexander, Jerome Cowan, and a beautiful performance by Marjorie Riordan as the neglected daughter. The film is artfully directed by Vincent Sherman and scripted by Julius and Philip Epstein of CASABLANCA (1942) fame. Like that film, the array of supporting characters is rich and textured, with each one given a standout scene or line of dialogue. Franz Waxman's musical score is a marvel, and the final scene offers one of his most inspired compositions. Spanning several decades, the movie runs two-and-a-half hours but there's not a wasted scene and when it was over, I could have happily watched it all over again. <br /><br />Here is my admittedly personal and idiosyncratic picks for the best films of 2014. <br /><br />BEST OF THE YEAR:<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e0FY0Dp4ZMA/VL07xL2SXaI/AAAAAAAACZ8/hH34uRjBD-Q/s1600/2014WalkAmongTombstones.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e0FY0Dp4ZMA/VL07xL2SXaI/AAAAAAAACZ8/hH34uRjBD-Q/s1600/2014WalkAmongTombstones.jpeg" /></a><br /><br />10. A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES – Terrific downbeat detective drama starring Liam Neeson, in one of his best performances. It reminded me of a 1970s crime drama like the great THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE (1973), where, like Robert Mitchum's performance in that movie, years from now, people will be wondering why Liam Neeson wasn't Oscar nominated. It's the kind of performance that never dates.&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9zA7T91U_r8/VL06pBUnK1I/AAAAAAAACZM/eknLiEpVKFU/s1600/2014EdgeTomorrow.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9zA7T91U_r8/VL06pBUnK1I/AAAAAAAACZM/eknLiEpVKFU/s1600/2014EdgeTomorrow.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a><br />9. EDGE OF TOMORROW – This science fiction time bending drama starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt was hugely entertaining, in addition to being the wittiest and funniest film of the year - a sad commentary on the state of contemporary film comedy.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zI1SzSB3D2I/VL061GPAxCI/AAAAAAAACZU/yNqwsSMfxnc/s1600/2014FaultinStars.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zI1SzSB3D2I/VL061GPAxCI/AAAAAAAACZU/yNqwsSMfxnc/s1600/2014FaultinStars.jpeg" /></a> <br /><br />8. THE FAULT IN OUR STARS - Years ago, Shailene Woodley would have likely earned a Best Actress nomination for her portrayal as a young woman battling cancer. But alas, these days it's likely deemed too commercial for consideration, which is a shame as it's one of the best performances of the year. I'm something of a softie (read pussy) and this one really choked me up (to the great amusement of the theater manager I've gotten to know over the years. He likes Randolph Scott, so you know he's an OK guy, in addition to being a fine manager).<br /><br />&nbsp;<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rEpEJZ10aCo/VL0761HX-DI/AAAAAAAACaE/Um0qGkGnROQ/s1600/2014Whiplash.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rEpEJZ10aCo/VL0761HX-DI/AAAAAAAACaE/Um0qGkGnROQ/s1600/2014Whiplash.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a><br /><br />7. WHIPLASH – This film would have been much higher on the list except for a story turn at the end, when J.K. Simmons' teacher character does something so out of character that it almost derailed the film for me. Still, one of the best uses of capturing the excitement of live music on film that I have ever seen. <br /><br />&nbsp;<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NiGMrmoPQN8/VL05_DS6XaI/AAAAAAAACY8/S4hjJhSavg0/s1600/2014BeginAgain.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NiGMrmoPQN8/VL05_DS6XaI/AAAAAAAACY8/S4hjJhSavg0/s1600/2014BeginAgain.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a><br /><br />6. BEGIN AGAIN – Speaking of music on film, this film about independent musicians in New York City was the most charming and likable film of the year, two qualities in woefully short supply this year.&nbsp; The sequence where Mark Ruffalo witnesses Keira Knightley's acoustical guitar performance and imagines in his mind the proper full rock band musical accompaniment was my favorite sequence of the year. I wish more people had seen this one.&nbsp; Speaking of Keira Knightley, she had an absolutely stellar year with this, THE IMITATION GAME and the sadly underseen LAGGIES. I'm looking forward to what she does next.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NlyPmKGVz0M/VL07esdtQbI/AAAAAAAACZs/zfzywAkJDuE/s1600/2014LifeItself.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NlyPmKGVz0M/VL07esdtQbI/AAAAAAAACZs/zfzywAkJDuE/s1600/2014LifeItself.jpeg" /></a> <br /><br /><br />5. LIFE ITSELF – This documentary on Roger Ebert's life was a wonderful celebration of a life well lived to the fullest.<br /><br />&nbsp;<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TJ_HqmGlOZI/VL07RipxZkI/AAAAAAAACZk/vIC6mF3yF0I/s1600/2014IntotheWoods2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TJ_HqmGlOZI/VL07RipxZkI/AAAAAAAACZk/vIC6mF3yF0I/s1600/2014IntotheWoods2.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a><br /><br /><br />4. INTO THE WOODS – What a pleasure to hear a musical so well sung and see it so cleverly staged. Great acting and a marvelous production design anchor this adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical, the best movie musical in years. <br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dwE2CPTju0Q/VL07pKf27gI/AAAAAAAACZ0/ZdJ6_2aXG-k/s1600/2014Nightcrawler.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dwE2CPTju0Q/VL07pKf27gI/AAAAAAAACZ0/ZdJ6_2aXG-k/s1600/2014Nightcrawler.jpeg" /></a> <br /><br /><br />3. NIGHTCRAWLER – Jake Gyllenhall's sociopath news cameraman was the scariest characterization of the year. I had no idea where the story was going, and the portrayal of nighttime Los Angeles repulsed as much as it fascinated.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4mbkLNTAUlA/VL07DQS8z3I/AAAAAAAACZc/HfzXpLueiaE/s1600/2014imitationgame.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4mbkLNTAUlA/VL07DQS8z3I/AAAAAAAACZc/HfzXpLueiaE/s1600/2014imitationgame.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a> <br /><br /><br />2. THE IMITATION GAME – I found this Nazi code breaking drama fascinating in its WWII sequences, but could have used one or two less flashbacks of Alan Turing being tormented as a young boy at school.&nbsp; Like last year's SAVING MR. BANKS too many flashbacks sidetrack the narrative. I have also yet to jump on the Benedict Cumberbatch bandwagon, and while I thought he was good, I felt there needed to be a little more spark – a little more zing – in his characterization. The film brightens immeasurably whenever Keira Knightley's character appears.&nbsp; <br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BirhxJVGVw8/VL06PaiexMI/AAAAAAAACZE/xlXMk8Y_EYA/s1600/2014Boyhood.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BirhxJVGVw8/VL06PaiexMI/AAAAAAAACZE/xlXMk8Y_EYA/s1600/2014Boyhood.jpeg" /></a><br /><br /><br />1. BOYHOOD – Yes, I know a cliched pick, but I did find this the most rewarding film of the year, not just for its production (shot over a 12-year period) but for its look at how the big, and especially the tiny, moments in life help form us into the adults we become.&nbsp; A beautifully acted panorama of the human condition which left me emotionally drained, in a good way.<br /><br />Runner Ups:&nbsp; LUCY, LOVE IS STRANGE, ST. VINCENT, SELMA, THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING. <br /><br />WORST OF THE YEAR (In Alphabetical Order)<br /><br />A HAUNTED HOUSE 2 – Not a laugh to be found anywhere.<br /><br />A MILLION WAYS TO DIE IN THE WEST – It was great to see Monument Valley again in a movie, but otherwise a painfully long and deadening experience. Still there were a few mild chuckles to be had, so it rates ahead A HAUNTED HOUSE 2.<br /><br />ANNIE – Everything you could possibly want in a musical -&nbsp; grisly musical arrangements and club footed choreography (what little there is of it.), made by people who appear to not want to put any music in their musical. Genuinely unbearable.<br /><br />DUMB AND DUMBER 2 – From the unending list of unfunny 2014 comedies. <br /><br />EARTH TO ECHO – One of the few movies I've ever walked out on, just out of sheer boredom. Not an original thought or idea in its tiny space alien head. <br /><br />EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS: I can't imagine a more uninteresting, passive or whispery Moses than Christian Bale's performance here. Charlton Heston's legacy remains happily secure. I love Biblical and ancient world epics, and for years thought M-G-M's THE PRODIGAL (1955) was the worst of the lot. And then I saw EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS.&nbsp; <br /><br />GOD'S NOT DEAD – I can't think of a movie where I so agreed with its message yet hated the simplistic, phony and condescending way it was delivered. For me, it's the opposite of the movie version of THE FOUNTAINHEAD (1949). I don't buy Ayn Rand's loony philosophy for a minute, but man, that is one entertaining movie.<br /><br />I, FRANKENSTEIN – The worst in CGI exhaustion.<br /><br />LEFT BEHIND – This Rapture drama starring Nicolas Cage was so bad, I considered turning atheist when it was over. <br /><br />NEIGHBORS – Tied with A HAUNTED HOUSE 2 as the nadir of my 2014 moviegoing. <br /><br />SEX TAPE – That unfunny 2014 comedy train just added the biggest caboose ever. <br /><br />TRANSCENDENCE – Probably the best film on this worst list. It had some good ideas and with a different execution could have been a very interesting cautionary science fiction tale. <br /><br />TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION – I may have to end my policy of seeing movies filmed in Chicago. <br /><br />WINTER'S TALE – This time travel romance was a laughably bad fiasco from top to bottom, with all-time worst performances from Russell Crowe, Will Smith and Colin Farrell. It's THE STORY OF MANKIND (1958) of the 21th century.&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br />I'm hoping 2015 will be a good year. There's a new 007 film to look forward to – always a treat, and the new MAD MAX movie FURY ROAD looks jaw droppingly amazing based on the trailer. There's two westerns starring Kurt Russell (yea!), and new movies from Steven Spielberg and&nbsp; Martin Scorsese.&nbsp; And while I'm not a STAR WARS fan, for those millions looking forward to the new one in December I hope it meets or exceeds their expectations.&nbsp; <br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gJ6VShiJPzU/VL08S8_sbiI/AAAAAAAACaU/B_C1JdC-spQ/s1600/2014007-spectre_1024x1517.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gJ6VShiJPzU/VL08S8_sbiI/AAAAAAAACaU/B_C1JdC-spQ/s1600/2014007-spectre_1024x1517.jpg" height="320" width="216" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />http://kevinsmoviecorner.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-best-and-worst-of-2014.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Deany)16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229.post-938979307547306963Thu, 13 Nov 2014 22:03:00 +00002014-11-17T07:12:36.144-08:00Barbara O'NeilBasil RathboneBritish Empire blogathonC. Aubrey SmithDouglas Fairbanks Jr.The Sun Never SetsBritish Empire Blogathon: The Sun Never Sets<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UFw5g1V_XYc/VGUmEyBrleI/AAAAAAAACWs/gYeJGVY-S_A/s1600/sunneversetslobbycard.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <style type="text/css">p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120%; }a:link { }</style> </a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FPSVjM_qnOc/VGUpOdEiyFI/AAAAAAAACX4/JRla4aqio_4/s1600/the-sun-never-setsposter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FPSVjM_qnOc/VGUpOdEiyFI/AAAAAAAACX4/JRla4aqio_4/s320/the-sun-never-setsposter.jpg" width="215" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-417DthyRrvc/VGUovPhCFfI/AAAAAAAACXg/jxcF7GrpGcM/s1600/BritishEmpireBlogathon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">Universal Studios' THE SUN NEVER SETS (1939) sounds like its the quintessential salute to the British Empire. It's not, and it's curiously actionless for most of its 96-minute running time. But the themes of sacrifice and love for country are prevalent throughout, and coming as it did to theaters on the eve of World War II, it likely struck a chord with audiences – not just the British – about the world wide sacrifices soon to come. </span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">Set during contemporary times, THE SUN NEVER SETS focuses on the Randolphs, a family who have dedicated themselves to England for several centuries. Basil Rathbone is Clive Randolph (named after the famed British statesman Robert Clive perhaps?), returning to England with his wife Helen (Barbara O'Neil) after 15 years of service as Commissioner in the Gold Coast of Africa (present day Ghana). They both look forward to serving their country from England and raising a family. </span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">Younger brother John (Douglas Fairbanks, Jr) is something of a hothead, and doesn't believe in following the family trade of diplomatic service. He's resentful of the sacrifices made to his family. When John asks why the family does what it has done for so long, family patriarch and grandfather Sir John Randolph (C. Aubrey Smith, naturally) answers John's critique with three words - “But we belong.”</span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">John agrees to join the service because, as he explains in the film's best line, “I just got run over by an empire.” No better words exemplify C. Aubrey Smith. </span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oUlOTgmKc3E/VGUpEHiPHwI/AAAAAAAACXw/4dYdlvEt9rA/s1600/SunNeverSetsSmithFairbanks.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-oUlOTgmKc3E/VGUpEHiPHwI/AAAAAAAACXw/4dYdlvEt9rA/s1600/SunNeverSetsSmithFairbanks.jpeg" /></a></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">Sir John is inordinately proud of his family's service, serving England for more than 40 years. He keeps track of the various Randolph postings throughout the Empire by planting flags to mark their locations on a map in his study. </span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">I experienced a bit of confusion in the script regarding Sir John's character. John makes reference to his grandfather's expulsion from the diplomatic corps for one small mistake, but no other mention is made of it by anyone else. Sir John seems to hold no resentment for being cashiered from the service. </span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">But Smith is marvelous in the role, as he is in every performance. It's hard to imagine any Golden Age movie set in the British Empire that does not have Sir C. Aubrey Smith in it. His closest competitor was Sir Guy Standing, who died in 1937, so Smith owned the this particular field for the next 10 years. </span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HGPPoerX7eo/VGUo7Sm3SjI/AAAAAAAACXo/XpWBa2bqGC8/s1600/SunNeverSetsSmith.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-HGPPoerX7eo/VGUo7Sm3SjI/AAAAAAAACXo/XpWBa2bqGC8/s1600/SunNeverSetsSmith.jpeg" /></a></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">Another bit of oddity regarding Sir C. Aubrey is a short scene at a dinner party where Sir John is about to relate one of his tales of old glory until he is stopped cold by the guests, who tell him he has told that story many times before.</span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">This could be a winking allusion to what would be one of Smith's most famous portrayals, as the old soldier who relates his exaggerated exploits at the Battle of Balaclava in THE FOUR FEATHERS (1939). THE SUN NEVER SETS was released in the United States on May 31, 1939, and THE FOUR FEATHERS had opened the previous month in England. Or it could be a coincidence.</span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">Anyway, between his grandson's mention of an early expulsion from the service and a tale cut short at a dinner party, it's assumed he was not the most effective diplomat. It's something the film barely touches on and is not part of the film's overall ode to Empire service. But its there. I wonder if earlier drafts of the script played up this angle more? Or, with war looming, any suggestion that the Empire would get rid of valued workers over a petty incident would likely not play well with a paying audience. </span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">Villain of the piece is Zurof (Lionel Atwill), who leads a scientific expedition studying ants and insects. It's all a front, as Zurof is digging for raw materials called, I think, something like melibium, which is an element used for bonding steel. The mine is also a front for a broadcast station which is used to ferment “organized agitation” throughout the world. Broadcasts are worldwide via a giant antennae which stays underground until put to use, when it rises out of the ground and into the sky like something out of a serial. We then see a montage of unrest in the world with acts of sabotage linked to the broadcast, such as factories being bombed, ships torpedoed and bombs falling from the sky. </span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8ZF9MLi3j3Y/VGUqd3CEh2I/AAAAAAAACYk/dxtIZo9FbPY/s1600/SunNeverSetslionelatwill1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8ZF9MLi3j3Y/VGUqd3CEh2I/AAAAAAAACYk/dxtIZo9FbPY/s320/SunNeverSetslionelatwill1.jpg" width="244" /></a></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">Zurof says the world is ready to be taken over. “It only takes one generation to make a dictator.” While he is not identified as German, the surname, along with a monocle he wears in several scenes, make it clear Zurof's nationality. </span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">No one is sure of the agitator's identity, and the British government calls an emergency session to discover the broadcast's source. “We need the best minds in all our colonies” to find out where the broadcasts are coming from. </span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Df8M8B_I1X8/VGUpYlmnUFI/AAAAAAAACYA/q2qBq3twpfo/s1600/SunNeverSetsNewsAd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Df8M8B_I1X8/VGUpYlmnUFI/AAAAAAAACYA/q2qBq3twpfo/s320/SunNeverSetsNewsAd.jpg" width="187" /></a></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">Clive Randolph is ordered back to the dangerous Gold Coast. He reluctantly accepts even though Helen is expecting their first child. John is also sent to the Gold Coast, but still resents his duty and can't see why his brother would want to subject his increasingly ill wife to the harsh African countryside. </span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">Basil Rathbone had a stellar year in 1939, with five film appearances including his first two Sherlock Holmes movies. He made two other movies at Universal with director Rowland V. Lee that year, the historical drama TOWER OF LONDON and SON OF FRANKENSTEIN. </span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">In THE SUN NEVER SETS, Rathbone has a good scene with Atwill when the two of them fake civility with barely hidden hostility. Those fans who enjoy their scenes together in SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (1939) will likely get an extra charge from their scene here. </span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">In another SON OF FRANKENSTEIN echo, Clive's pressure between duty and love of wife causes him to have a brief bout of hysteria, and the scene here where he is overcome with emotion is reminiscent of his SON OF FRANKENSTEIN's hysteria scenes. </span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">Helen is the strong one, sending Clive on his mission, telling him he's never failed the service and he's not to start now. Helen Randolph is in the best tradition of wives who selflessly let their men serve their country. </span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">Surprisingly, the film offers little action in the first 80 minutes or so. John Randolph inadvertently becomes Zulof's dupe, and Clive gets cashiered out of the service, taking the blame for John's mistake. </span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">But in the best Hollywood tradition, John redeems himself by learning of Zulof's true identity, and discovering the secret radio station. The underground radio station is, again, like something out of a serial and no doubt delighted the Saturday afternoon crowd. </span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GvIOOkMH9mU/VGUpkN-W4GI/AAAAAAAACYI/uHIdGNqg8lI/s1600/sunneversetslobbycard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GvIOOkMH9mU/VGUpkN-W4GI/AAAAAAAACYI/uHIdGNqg8lI/s320/sunneversetslobbycard.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">Fairbanks likely didn't think much of the film as there is no mention of it in “The Salad Days” (Doubleday, 1988), the first volume of his autobiography. (Even GREEN HELL (1940), which Fairbanks names as his worst movie, gets a mention).</span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">To the best of my knowledge the film has never been released on VHS or DVD. I viewed the film thanks to a decades old recording taped off AMC. I remember when the film was scheduled, as I had never heard of it and was surprised when the credits came up listing all those well known names. To be sure, it's a small footnote in the careers of Rathbone and Fairbanks, but the two play well together (they were good friends off screen) and are convincing as brothers. </span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">Barbara O'Neil delivers the film's best performance and has a terrific scene where her dangerously sick Helen, soon to give birth, practically orders her husband out of camp and to his duty. O'Neil had another film in release that year, where she played Scarlett O'Hara's mother. I won't bother with its name. She also co-starred with Rathbone that year in TOWER OF LONDON. </span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">Its salute to the British Empire as a stabilizing source in a troubled world was a likely tonic to a nervous world holding its breath as to when conflagration would erupt. It did later that year, of course, and if its politics seem quaint today, the film offers a peek into a world where the non-existence of the British Empire was unthinkable. </span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">For moviegoers of the first half of the twentieth century movies of valor and courage set in the British Empire were a regular staple of movie goer's diets. This blogathon celebrates the best of these and there's tons of good reading to be had. Go to <a href="http://phantomempires.weebly.com/movies/announcement-the-british-empire-blogathon">http://phantomempires.weebly.com/movies/announcement-the-british-empire-blogathon</a>for a list of titles and sites. My sincere thanks to hosts Jeff at The Stalking Moon and Clayton of Phantom Empires for allowing me to participate. </span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"></span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-417DthyRrvc/VGUovPhCFfI/AAAAAAAACXg/jxcF7GrpGcM/s1600/BritishEmpireBlogathon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-417DthyRrvc/VGUovPhCFfI/AAAAAAAACXg/jxcF7GrpGcM/s320/BritishEmpireBlogathon.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UFw5g1V_XYc/VGUmEyBrleI/AAAAAAAACWs/gYeJGVY-S_A/s1600/sunneversetslobbycard.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span>http://kevinsmoviecorner.blogspot.com/2014/11/british-empire-blogathon-sun-never-sets_13.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Deany)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229.post-7572527392366314285Thu, 13 Nov 2014 16:53:00 +00002014-11-13T08:53:03.298-08:00Upcoming Blogathon: The British Empire <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RR5-4lvx0Us/VGThIDzyFsI/AAAAAAAACWU/gXPGgMEYaVk/s1600/BritishEmpireBlogathon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RR5-4lvx0Us/VGThIDzyFsI/AAAAAAAACWU/gXPGgMEYaVk/s320/BritishEmpireBlogathon.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mFXkBXvAh-g/VGThMSP12RI/AAAAAAAACWc/fIHfCf7YhLU/s1600/the-sun-never-setsposter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><br />I'm very pleased to be participating in the upcoming British Empire Blogathon, hosted by The Stalking Moon and Phantom Empires.<br /><br />I will be posting on THE SUN NEVER SETS (1939), with Basil Rathbone, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Lionel Atwill, and, of course, Sir C. Aubrey Smith. With a title like that, Sir C. Aubrey better be in it!<br /><br />Alas, I will not be able to post until Monday, November 17, as my home laptop is under repair and I will be out of town that weekend for a funeral. I won't have access to a computer until Monday.<br /><br />It looks to be a jolly good line-up of contributors and I'm looking forward to reading all the entries.<br /><br />A complete list of participants can be found here:<br />http://phantomempires.weebly.com/movies/announcement-the-british-empire-blogathon<br /><br />See you on Monday.&nbsp; <br /><br /><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mFXkBXvAh-g/VGThMSP12RI/AAAAAAAACWc/fIHfCf7YhLU/s1600/the-sun-never-setsposter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mFXkBXvAh-g/VGThMSP12RI/AAAAAAAACWc/fIHfCf7YhLU/s320/the-sun-never-setsposter.jpg" width="215" /></a>http://kevinsmoviecorner.blogspot.com/2014/11/upcoming-blogathon-british-empire.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Deany)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229.post-3107173761947915701Tue, 28 Oct 2014 16:15:00 +00002014-10-28T09:15:56.427-07:00B mystery moviesEdmund LoweJanis CarterThe Girl in the CaseThe Girl in the Case<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OIyNi5FZej4/VE_Apm1KVfI/AAAAAAAACV0/Cw5Y13qeu7A/s1600/GirlintheCaseDVD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OIyNi5FZej4/VE_Apm1KVfI/AAAAAAAACV0/Cw5Y13qeu7A/s1600/GirlintheCaseDVD.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u7lMqZCEE_w/VE_AtbVlzMI/AAAAAAAACV8/9-Gh0xBU-40/s1600/GirlinCaseJanisCarter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0Td5L1jE6lQ/VE_Axbvc_nI/AAAAAAAACWE/93fJtK3MzdA/s1600/GirlinCaseEdmund-Lowe-pipe-34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>Even into the mid 1940s, studios were trying to replicate the success of M-G-M's enormously successful Thin Man movies by making their own movies featuring a happily married, yet zany, couple who get mixed up in murder and mayhem. <br /><br />THE GIRL IN THE CASE (1944) is a one-shot effort from Columbia Pictures featuring Edmund Lowe and Janis Carter as William and Myra Warner. William Warner is a lawyer by trade but also an well-regarded locksmith with a special interest in historic locks and keys. <br /><br />Allusion is made to a substantial age difference between the two, but William and Myra clearly adore each other. He indulges her spending sprees and she puts up with his fascination with locks.<br /><br />The initial set-up is promising, as Warner greets client Dick Elliott in his law office suite. He beckons Elliott to the room next door which is filled with ancient keys, locks and chests. <br /><br />Warner and his assistant Tuffy (Stanley Clements) communicate with each other via clickers tapping out Morse Code and the subtitles appear on the screen for us to see what they are saying to each other. This comes in very handy when the two lock Elliott in a stockade and can't find the right key to let him free. <br /><br />It's an engaging set-up and I thought I might be in for a breezy and entertaining B mystery movie filled with snappy patter and mysterious going ons. <br /><br />But the film is never as good as those opening scenes, and the film gets sillier as it goes along. The Warners get involved in some shenanigans involving a secret chemical formula found in an ancient trunk that only Warner can open. The mystery isn't very involved and journeyman director William Berke doesn't generate much atmosphere or suspense. <br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0Td5L1jE6lQ/VE_Axbvc_nI/AAAAAAAACWE/93fJtK3MzdA/s1600/GirlinCaseEdmund-Lowe-pipe-34.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0Td5L1jE6lQ/VE_Axbvc_nI/AAAAAAAACWE/93fJtK3MzdA/s1600/GirlinCaseEdmund-Lowe-pipe-34.jpg" height="320" width="257" /></a><br /><br />But the film does allow some small pleasures. I was amused by a scene where Warner is asked by the police department to help open up some doors at an oceanside warehouse that has caught fire. The Warners look at the conflagration from their balcony and it looks like the whole city is on fire. We're talking Chicago Fire here. Either that, or its the biggest warehouse ever constructed anywhere. <br /><br />They make their way to the warehouse where Warner uses his locksmith skills to open the door so some potentially lethal gas cans can be retrieved before they explode. Warner is wearing a top hat the entire time. It's that kind of movie. Someone from Columbia's famed comedy shorts department must have been on hand that day to supervise the scene where flames light up the top hat of an unsuspecting Warner. <br /><br />&nbsp;<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u7lMqZCEE_w/VE_AtbVlzMI/AAAAAAAACV8/9-Gh0xBU-40/s1600/GirlinCaseJanisCarter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u7lMqZCEE_w/VE_AtbVlzMI/AAAAAAAACV8/9-Gh0xBU-40/s1600/GirlinCaseJanisCarter.jpg" height="320" width="253" /></a><br /><br />I've always had a soft spot for Edmund Lowe since he stars in one of my favorite 1930s movies CHANDU THE MAGICIAN (1932). He and Janis Carter have some nice chemistry together, despite their age differences. There are some close-ups of Carter where she looks so much like Anita Louise its surprising no one ever cast them as sisters. <br /><br />THE GIRL IN THE CASE was recently released as part of the Sony MOD program. I must admit to never even hearing of it before, but I'm glad titles like this are coming out. There are often some real gems to be found and if its because these titles are so unfamiliar its not because they're bad, but because they haven't been seen in four or five decades. <br /><br />It seemed worth a rental and while I'm glad I saw it I must admit to barely remembering it even as I write these notes less than 24 hours after watching it.&nbsp; <br /><br />http://kevinsmoviecorner.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-girl-in-case.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Deany)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229.post-1986987319964802172Mon, 22 Sep 2014 16:00:00 +00002014-09-22T09:00:16.942-07:00Big JakeChristopher MitchumComfort moviesElmer BernsteinJohn WayneMaureen O'HaraPatrick WayneRichard BooneComfort Movies: Big Jake <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F9Vz0g3rfzo/VBs9BIci06I/AAAAAAAACU8/td5lloQ_848/s1600/BigJakeBoone.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f-tSs-0LD38/VBs9EJLCXWI/AAAAAAAACVE/bCI0O_qolrU/s1600/BigJakeCabot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2X9LghAnyFc/VBs9JNQhUJI/AAAAAAAACVM/1oToOgRvDkw/s1600/BigJakeCloseUp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-me9pBcKYbko/VBs9MiorreI/AAAAAAAACVU/fIVixx0nK54/s1600/BigJakeOHara.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sbLb5DMYRDc/VBs9QOzNGfI/AAAAAAAACVc/qMECAs-FaJw/s1600/BigJakeposter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sbLb5DMYRDc/VBs9QOzNGfI/AAAAAAAACVc/qMECAs-FaJw/s1600/BigJakeposter.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1VTatL1ptUI/VBs9VzrOAyI/AAAAAAAACVk/nJYnZlM_iNY/s1600/BigJakeSons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>&nbsp;BIG JAKE (1971) is probably my favorite John Wayne western. Not his best, mind you, but my favorite. I've seen it countless times and will happily sit down and watch it a dozen more times. While I'm not blind to the film's faults, for me they are minimal and don't hamper my enjoyment of the film. <br /><br />I was nine years old when I saw my first John Wayne movie, BIG JAKE, at the theater and that may be one of the reasons I like it so much. I remember being very impressed by this towering authority figure who travels to Mexico to retrieve his kidnapped grandson from the clutches of a ruthless outlaw gang led by John Fain (Richard Boone). <br /><br />I've written before about that viewing that night at the Dolton Theater, my home away from home growing up. The place was packed on that summer evening and the theater was obviously loaded with John Wayne fans. When that freeze frame appeared at the end and the triumphant Elmer Bernstein score kicked in to herald the end credits, the applause and cheering was long and sustained. I remember it to this day. I think I was one of those louder participants. <br /><br />Like some young 'uns seeing STAR WARS (1977) or E.T.&nbsp; (1982) for the first time, I can say that BIG JAKE screening changed my life.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F9Vz0g3rfzo/VBs9BIci06I/AAAAAAAACU8/td5lloQ_848/s1600/BigJakeBoone.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F9Vz0g3rfzo/VBs9BIci06I/AAAAAAAACU8/td5lloQ_848/s1600/BigJakeBoone.jpeg" /></a> <br /><br /><br />I love the many dialogue exchanges between Wayne and Boone. Here are two men who would kill each other at the drop of a hat, but I believe have a grudging respect for each other. The film was written by Harry Julian Fink and Rita M. Fink, who also wrote DIRTY HARRY that year. I can easily imagine Dirty Harry saying some Big Jake's dialogue and vice versa. The film is loaded with endlessly quotable dialogue. <br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-me9pBcKYbko/VBs9MiorreI/AAAAAAAACVU/fIVixx0nK54/s1600/BigJakeOHara.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-me9pBcKYbko/VBs9MiorreI/AAAAAAAACVU/fIVixx0nK54/s1600/BigJakeOHara.jpeg" height="133" width="320" /></a> <br /><br />The one scene between Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, in what proved to be the last of their five films together, is a testament to movie star mystique.&nbsp; Wayne greets estranged wife O'Hara and the look that passes between them says more than pages of dialogue could. If one had never seen a John Wayne/Maureen O'Hara movie before, the scene plays beautifully, with the two anxious to secure their grandson's freedom. But for movie fans who have long enjoyed their previous films together the scene has added resonance. However you see it, it plays beautifully on both levels. <br /><br />As I've gotten older, I've grown to appreciate the many familiar faces in the cast. Old-time western fans&nbsp; who watched hundreds of westerns in the past likely silently cheered each time a favorite face showed up: John Agar, Harry Carey, Jr., Glenn Corbett, Jim Davis, John Doucette, Gregg Palmer and Hank Worden. Just typing all of those names makes me very happy. <br /><br />BEWITCHED's Dr. Bombay himself, Bernard Fox, has a good scene as a shepherd about to be hung before being saved by Big Jake.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2X9LghAnyFc/VBs9JNQhUJI/AAAAAAAACVM/1oToOgRvDkw/s1600/BigJakeCloseUp.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2X9LghAnyFc/VBs9JNQhUJI/AAAAAAAACVM/1oToOgRvDkw/s1600/BigJakeCloseUp.jpg" height="149" width="320" /></a> <br /><br />Wayne has one of his all-time best introductory scenes here, with a great close up of him taking aim at the aforementioned lynching party. He's decides not to butt in, until one of the lynchers hits a little boy. That's enough for Wayne to ride down and confront lynch leader Jim Davis. <br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1VTatL1ptUI/VBs9VzrOAyI/AAAAAAAACVk/nJYnZlM_iNY/s1600/BigJakeSons.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1VTatL1ptUI/VBs9VzrOAyI/AAAAAAAACVk/nJYnZlM_iNY/s1600/BigJakeSons.jpg" height="160" width="320" /></a> <br /><br /><br />Patrick Wayne (Duke's son) and Christoper Mitchum (Robert's son) are both every appealing as his estranged sons who join their father in the trek down to Mexico. Jake's best friend is an Indian, Sam Sharpnose (Bruce Cabot), who accompanies the trio as well. Also tagging along is Wayne's dog, which he simply calls Dog. (Was this an homage to Wayne's great HONDO (1953)? If memory serves, he calls his dog in that movie Dog as well). <br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f-tSs-0LD38/VBs9EJLCXWI/AAAAAAAACVE/bCI0O_qolrU/s1600/BigJakeCabot.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f-tSs-0LD38/VBs9EJLCXWI/AAAAAAAACVE/bCI0O_qolrU/s1600/BigJakeCabot.jpg" height="132" width="320" /></a> <br /><br />Anti-P.C. Rant – I love how Wayne's best friend in the movie is a Native American, which gives no credence to the belief held by many that Wayne's movies are filled with anti-Native American bigotry.&nbsp; Some may wince at a Native American being played by Bruce Cabot. Wayne would have scoffed at that. Bruce Cabot was a long-standing friend and Wayne loved working with his buddies. Cabot needed the work and Wayne was happy to oblige. Helping out a friend was much more important to Wayne than being politically correct. It was one of Cabot's last films. He died the following year. <br /><br />If there are some faults to find with the film,&nbsp; it's we never find out why Wayne left his family years ago. Sam and Dog are both killed in the final shoot out and I wish there had been a scene – heck, even a line of dialogue would have sufficed – where Jake is regretful about the losses. <br /><br />But the shootouts are beautifully staged, the scenery on the trek to Mexico is to die for, and the comedy&nbsp;&nbsp; bits are well played. Elmer Bernstein contributes one of his most infectious scores and the whole thing is a blast from beginning to end. It's one of my all time favorites. <br /><br />After I saw it for the firs time, I remember asking my dad about this Wayne guy and he told me he's been in movies forever, and they showed up on TV all the time (even in the early 1970s this was true). A few weeks later a local station advertised THE FIGHTING KENTUCKIAN (1949) on the 10:30 movie. Since Wayne was in it I wanted to see it and to my delight there was Oliver Hardy in the movie. I had been a Laurel and Hardy fan for as long as I could remember but didn't know he was going to be in it. It was like a whole world was opening up before me. I couldn't wait to see what else it revealed.&nbsp; <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />http://kevinsmoviecorner.blogspot.com/2014/09/comfort-movies-big-jake.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Deany)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229.post-5959676460248699663Wed, 03 Sep 2014 21:07:00 +00002014-09-03T14:07:25.515-07:00Comfort moviesDebra PagetFranz WaxmanHal FosterHenry HathawayJames MasonJanet LeighPrince ValiantRobert WagnerSterling HaydenComfort Movies: Prince Valiant <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3sh6aQ_ZQy8/VAeBrnwN0bI/AAAAAAAACT0/QoWt2O4wweo/s1600/prince_valiant_xlg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3sh6aQ_ZQy8/VAeBrnwN0bI/AAAAAAAACT0/QoWt2O4wweo/s1600/prince_valiant_xlg.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FeRi_TdHZEs/VAeB0wUN0gI/AAAAAAAACT8/40tkr6t2yOU/s1600/PrinceValiantleigh-wagner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>Comfort movies. I guess everyone has a different definition of what a comfort movie is. For me, a comfort movie is a very personal one, a movie you really enjoy and watch whenever it is on TV or you watch the DVD more than other movies in your collection. <br /><br />That love may not be shared by others. <br /><br />I'm not necessarily talking about favorite movies beloved by millions like CASABLANCA (1942) or SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952). <br /><br />No, what I mean are those movies that you and you alone seem to adore. The kind where&nbsp; you eagerly share with others, but when the movie is over an embarrassed silence engulfs the room. <br /><br />“You actually like that?” is the unspoken implication.<br /><br />Maybe comfort movie isn't the right term, but it will do for now. I know quite a few people who can quote&nbsp; from the THE GODFATHER movies at the drop of a hat. Again, I'm not talking about universally beloved movies, but one's own very personal favorites. <br /><br />I have friends who have their own comfort movies. One friend unreservedly loves MR. DESTINY (1990) with Jim Belushi, while another worships at the altar of MYSTERY, ALASKA (1999), the Russell Crowe hockey movie. I enjoyed both of them but not to the extent they do. But there is some intangible thing about those movies they respond to. I get that. I may not share it with those particular titles, but I totally understand where they are coming from. <br /><br />There will be occasional looks at favorite comfort movies of mine. Movies that make me just as happy to think about as to watch, opinions not shared by many others, but that does not stop me from adoring each of these movies without reservation. (Note, these will not be critical evaluations). There may be some slight spoilers ahead. <br /><br />Prince Valiant <br /><br />One of 20th Century Fox's first Cinemascope adventure films, PRINCE VALIANT (1954) ranks among my all-time favorite swashbucklers. Not only is it one of the most enjoyable swashbucklers ever made, but I think it is one of the best comic strip/comic book adaptations ever. Some of the images and scenes were copied right from Hal Foster's celebrated comic strip chronicling the adventures of the young Viking prince, and they're a joy to behold. For me, its one of the few movies that captures the exuberance and excitement of the comics medium. <br /><br />Some friends I've shown it to do not share my appreciation of the film, and found it pretty juvenile. For one, they could not get past star Robert Wagner's wig in the film. (Wagner agrees with them, calling it his Bette Davis look). But you can't do a Prince Valiant film without that famous Valiant hairstyle and trying to do so is like making a Superman movie without the iconic costume) <br /><br />&nbsp;<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FeRi_TdHZEs/VAeB0wUN0gI/AAAAAAAACT8/40tkr6t2yOU/s1600/PrinceValiantleigh-wagner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FeRi_TdHZEs/VAeB0wUN0gI/AAAAAAAACT8/40tkr6t2yOU/s1600/PrinceValiantleigh-wagner.jpg" height="320" width="262" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2pBkfj7j5uw/VAeB_9gvX-I/AAAAAAAACUE/E4rxsOpf96U/s1600/PrinceValiantSisters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>It doesn't bother me at all, and neither does Wagner's portrayal. The Valiant of the film is young, callow and very green. He's all exuberance, giving little thought to the consequences of his actions. Wagner does a great job of promoting Valiant's immaturity while still being very likable. That's harder than it sounds. <br /><br />Sterling Hayden as Sir Gawain is also a tough swallow for many, but the big lug is very appealing. It may not be his best performance, but I'm hard pressed to think of one that is so likable. True, I guess a Knight of the Round Table should not be thought of as a lug, but that's how Hayden plays him. <br /><br />&nbsp;<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2pBkfj7j5uw/VAeB_9gvX-I/AAAAAAAACUE/E4rxsOpf96U/s1600/PrinceValiantSisters.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2pBkfj7j5uw/VAeB_9gvX-I/AAAAAAAACUE/E4rxsOpf96U/s1600/PrinceValiantSisters.jpg" height="125" width="320" /></a><br /><br />Love interest is delivered by Janet Leigh and Debra Paget, two of the loveliest medieval princesses one could imagine. This is the movie that began my life-long infatuation with Debra Paget. (Shameless name dropping: Years ago I met Janet Leigh at a book signing years and told her how much I like this film. She said she read the Prince Valiant comic strip growing up, and was thrilled to be cast in the movie.)<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EvxyDNpuhqg/VAeCLt5U_4I/AAAAAAAACUM/yl3_4Cu9y2A/s1600/PrinceValiantPaget.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EvxyDNpuhqg/VAeCLt5U_4I/AAAAAAAACUM/yl3_4Cu9y2A/s1600/PrinceValiantPaget.jpg" height="320" width="244" /></a></div><br />James Mason is Sir Brack, a Knight of the Round Table who is also the Black Knight, a mysterious figure who allies with the pagan Vikings to overthrow King Arthur's Camelot. He's great as always, with his marvelously plummy voice contrasting nicely with Wagner's. I've always been intrigued by his&nbsp; appearance here. He likely considered it slumming, as movies adapted from comic strips and comic books were mainly the purview of Saturday afternoon serials. Over the last several decades, it's become routine for celebrated actors like Gene Hackman and Anthony Hopkins to appear in comic book movies, but back then James Mason's appearance in one must have been an eyebrow raiser for many. I think he's great in it, a pure pleasure to watch. What a year he had in 1954, what with two of his most famous performances, in A STAR IS BORN and 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3EBP2gP-bIc/VAeCXA9G2UI/AAAAAAAACUU/TwW2BkMLRXs/s1600/PrinceValiantMason.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3EBP2gP-bIc/VAeCXA9G2UI/AAAAAAAACUU/TwW2BkMLRXs/s1600/PrinceValiantMason.jpg" height="125" width="320" /></a></div><br />Director Henry Hathaway, who has provided me with lots of red-blooded thrills over the years, gives us one of the best castle sieges in history, with Christian Vikings attacking the pagan Vikings in an orgy of screaming men, flashing swords, battering rams, fire, boiling oil and crumbling walls. <br /><br />But the real star of the movie may be composer Franz Waxman, who delivered one of the most gloriously exuberant scores in motion picture history. Why it isn't more celebrated I'll never know, because it's pure joy from beginning to end. There's a short sequence where Valiant is escaping from a seaside prison by undoing the bars on a window. Using a rope made from a mattress spring he uses it to scale the walls and escape. Waxman gives us a stunning piece of music during the 120-second or so sequence which delivers more orchestral color, drama and suspense than anything I've heard at the movies over the last 10 years. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kxa61DkRRtg/VAeChbVpVeI/AAAAAAAACUc/b02X1rYQtNk/s1600/PrinceValiantDuel03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kxa61DkRRtg/VAeChbVpVeI/AAAAAAAACUc/b02X1rYQtNk/s1600/PrinceValiantDuel03.jpg" height="130" width="320" /></a></div><br />The final broadsword duel between Valiant and Sir Brack is one of the best in moviedom, with the broadswords making enormous clanging sounds as each tries to outfight the other. Waxman leaves the sequence unscored save towards the end, when Valiant begins getting the better of his nemesis. Waxman introduces a very ethereal, high pitched, slow treatment of his main Prince Valiant theme, played on, of all things, an electric violin, subliminally implying that now is the moment when Prince Valiant has ceased to be a boy and has become a man. It's a beautifully scored scene, working on both a dramatic and musical level.&nbsp; <br /><br />The final scene sees Prince Valiant knighted Sir Valiant for his service to King Arthur. It's a great pity there was never a sequel called SIR VALIANT. But what we have here is one of the most wonderfully entertaining swashbucklers of all time. <br /><br />One of the best studies of the swashbuckling genre is the book “Swordsmen of the Screen: From Douglas Fairbanks to Michael York” by Jeffrey Richards (Routledge &amp; Kegan Paul Ltd, 1977). Richards shares my enthusiasm for the film and provides some very interesting production background: <br /><br />“The rights to the strip were purchased by MGM who for two years tried and failed to get it into script form. Eventually they sold the rights to 20th Century Fox and producer Robert Jacks, enthusiastic about the project, decided to go directly to the strip for inspiration. 23,980 drawings were made available to screenwriter Dudley Nichols and from them he fashioned a dramatic and exciting script. Fox then assigned a budget of 3 million dollars and assembled a talented team of artists to bring the script to life: cinematographer Lucien Ballard, composer Franz Waxman and ace action director Henry Hathaway. Nine weeks of location shooting in Britain produced some superb footage of Caernarvon, Warwick, Braemar and Eilean Donan castles, with Ainwick standing in as Camelot and the Scottish village of Dornie transformed into a Viking settlement. Back in Hollywood, Sligon's castle was constructed at the Fox studios and for several days a Viking fleet was to be seen sailing off the Pacific coast, so that exteriors for the film could be completed. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sHUKUP4ie8I/VAeC1VF5O6I/AAAAAAAACUs/_mfjOtEEsOM/s1600/PrinceValiantPose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sHUKUP4ie8I/VAeC1VF5O6I/AAAAAAAACUs/_mfjOtEEsOM/s1600/PrinceValiantPose.jpg" height="125" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>&nbsp;“The resulting film has all the innocence, vigour and mythic quality of Foster's elegantly drawn strip. Action, dialogue and settings are appropriately stylized, creating a totally believable fantasy chivalric world, perfectly laid out picture-book gardens, majestic castles superbly photogenic, coolly inviting woodlands, rolling downs grazed by peaceful sheep, a deep-blue sea edged with creamy breakers....<br /><br />“Tableau-style ceremonial, hieratic groupings and deliberately posed medium and long-shot dialogue scenes are the entirely appropriate hallmarks of Henry Hathaway's direction, conveying without effort the ritual and mythic elements of the story. But the film is punctuated by all-stops-out, no-holds-barred action sequences, handled by veteran stunt director Richard Talmadge, with a full complement of Hollywood stuntmen, half of whom were injured in one way or another during the course of the picture. (Fencing Instructor) Jean Heremans coached Robert Wagner in sword-fighting and helped stage the fencing sequences. Henry Hathaway paid tribute to his expertise when he described the character of Valiant as a “combination of D'Artagnan, Doug Fairbanks Sr., Tarzan, Robin Hood, Jim Bowie, William Tell and Jean Heremans.'”<br /><br />You can have your dopey Dark Knight movies or the beyond wretched MAN OF STEEL (2013). For me PRINCE VALIANT ranks among the best comic strip movies ever. It's a fun, exhilarating movie that doesn't have a dull moment and is chock full of speed, romance and action. I don't care if others don't respond to it. PRINCE VALIANT is one movie I never get tired watching. <br /><br />Off the top of my head, I can think of other comfort movies I can write about, such as John Wayne in BIG JAKE (1971), Charles Bronson and Jill Ireland in BREAKHEART PASS (1976), WWII all-star musicals THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS (1943) and (despite an aversion to Betty Hutton) STAR SPANGLED RHYTHM (1942), Jon Hall and Maria Montez in ALI BABA AND THE FORTY THIEVES (1944). So many wonderful movies....even if I sometimes feel I'm the only one who thinks so. <br /><br />What are some of&nbsp; your favorite comfort movies?http://kevinsmoviecorner.blogspot.com/2014/09/comfort-movies-prince-valiant.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Deany)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229.post-8614915331062118427Tue, 29 Jul 2014 16:42:00 +00002014-07-29T09:43:30.648-07:00Dibs and Dabs: Russell Crowe, Jersey Boys, Obscure U.S. Presidents on Film and A Strange Coincidence Involving The Mole People <br />I haven't watched anything of late to blog about, but I've had a few ideas percolating in my mind for a couple of weeks. Current movies will be discussed, but there will be some Golden Age tie-ins. <br /><br /><b>The Mumbler Russell Crowe</b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-04ysGy9CnuY/U9fN9vzh1XI/AAAAAAAACTM/AIcqhr36AHo/s1600/russell-crowe-noah-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-04ysGy9CnuY/U9fN9vzh1XI/AAAAAAAACTM/AIcqhr36AHo/s1600/russell-crowe-noah-8.jpg" height="191" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J5MqrT9L-ec/U9fOIFzKhbI/AAAAAAAACTU/pjwcBKS2SVk/s1600/jersey-boys-film-review.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>Two of the dopiest movies of the year are NOAH and WINTER'S TALE. Both star Russell Crowe, and I'm afraid he's a big part of the problem. For in the last several years, Mr. Crowe has become a mumbler, that dreaded aspect of so many contemporary movies where performers have decided that mumbling their lines is “natural” and “true to life.” Not by a long shot. <br /><br />No one talks like this. I've had some very serious conversations in my day but none of them took place at volumes lower than dog whistles. Some of Mr. Crowe's dialogue delivery in these films, especially NOAH, is rendered practically mute due to him speaking his lines in a barely heard whisper. I had no problem understanding dialogue from the other performers, so there was no fault with the theater's sound system or my hearing. It's infuriating and compounds what is already two excruciating viewing experiences. He's always been a low talker, but he seems to have taken his whisperings to new levels of inaudibility. <br /><br />Among Golden Age stars, Alan Ladd was probably the champion low talker. Now I've seen many an Alan Ladd movie in my time, but never once have I had a problem understanding what he was saying. Alan Ladd enunciates. Russell Crowe mumbles.<br /><br />Like someone telling Clint Eastwood to please hire a professional composer to write the scores for his movies, I wish someone would tell Russell Crowe to stop mumbling, speak clearly and don't pretend that your mumbling has anything to do with the way people talk. In its own way, it's as forced and mannered as the most exaggerated pantomime in silent cinema. <br /><br /><b>Jersey Boys</b><br /><br />Speaking of Clint Eastwood I went to see his latest, JERSEY BOYS, one of my most eagerly anticipated films of the summer. It's only OK, and I was pretty disappointed. We've seen so many rags to riches show biz sagas I'm not sure if anything new can be brought to the table. I like my musical biographies to have lots of music and for me there was not enough of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons as performers. Some might argue that if I want the music buy a CD. But for me, if a movie sacrifices back story for performances of the music that made them famous,&nbsp; such as the Sousa biography STARS AND STRIPES FOREVER (1952) or the Gus Kahn story I'LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS (1952), then I'm all for it.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J5MqrT9L-ec/U9fOIFzKhbI/AAAAAAAACTU/pjwcBKS2SVk/s1600/jersey-boys-film-review.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J5MqrT9L-ec/U9fOIFzKhbI/AAAAAAAACTU/pjwcBKS2SVk/s1600/jersey-boys-film-review.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a> <br /><br />Not that a musical biopic should be all music. But since many show biz movies are so clichéd, I'd rather hear the music that made the artist famous in the first place. YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942) is, for me, the champion biopic that deftly balances music, drama, comedy and historic background in a most satisfying way.<br /><br />Minor spoiler alert in the next paragraph:<br /><br />JERSEY BOYS wraps up with a production number of “Oh, What a Night” with every character in the movie participating in during a street party. It's a terrific number and one of the highlights of the movie. But then director Eastwood almost ruins it at the end, with everyone freezing with arms extended into the air, as if they are awaiting applause. It lasts a long time and is really annoying. It's a movie, not a stage show. Very odd. I felt the same way at the end of the movie version of MAMA MIA! (2008), where Meryl Streep and company perform ed a number and then asked the audience if they want more. What works on stage comes off as terribly forced and one would think a more creative solution could be found for such moments. It's all very strange and off-putting. <br /><br /><b>Obscure Presidents on Film</b><br /><br />&nbsp;<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-06LWo56ELSg/U9fOV0o9edI/AAAAAAAACTc/Ze1HTUK7_YY/s1600/Night_Riders_1939.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-06LWo56ELSg/U9fOV0o9edI/AAAAAAAACTc/Ze1HTUK7_YY/s1600/Night_Riders_1939.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8FtIPg-HXIk/U9fOhDrO0NI/AAAAAAAACTk/ibmjiVjkFs0/s1600/MolePeople.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>I'm always interested when obscure U.S. presidents are shown on film. By coincidence in one week, I saw President #23, Benjamin Harrison, make a token appearance in the Sousa biography STARS AND STRIPES FOREVER (1952) and, in a much bigger role, #20, James Garfield, in THE NIGHT RIDERS (1939), a Three Mesquiteers B-western starring John Wayne. The latter is interesting, as President Garfield asks the trio to investigate wrong doings by an unscrupulous land baron out west. It's a secret mission, known only to the President and the Mesquiteers. When the three are jailed and facing execution, they await word from the president to pardon them, not knowing that Garfield has been assassinated, and no one in Washington is aware of their predicament. <br /><br />If that sounds familiar, it's because two years earlier Secret Service agent Robert Taylor found himself in a similar jam in THIS IS MY AFFAIR (1937), with President #25 William McKinley felled by an assassin's bullet before he can pardon undercover agent Taylor. Again, only the president is aware of the mission. <br /><br />There aren't too many portrayals of Harrison and Garfield in the movies, and I found it an amusing coincidence that I saw them a few days apart. I eagerly await future sightings of Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, Rutherford B. Hayes and Chester A. Arthur. <br /><br /><b>The Police and the Mole People</b><br />A scene from THE MOLE PEOPLE (1956) while channel flipping recently reminded me of the strange quirks the universe sometimes plays on us poor souls. <br /><br />I've only been in the police car twice in my life and both times there has been a MOLE PEOPLE connection. How's that for an attention getter. <br /><br />&nbsp;<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8FtIPg-HXIk/U9fOhDrO0NI/AAAAAAAACTk/ibmjiVjkFs0/s1600/MolePeople.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8FtIPg-HXIk/U9fOhDrO0NI/AAAAAAAACTk/ibmjiVjkFs0/s1600/MolePeople.jpeg" height="250" width="320" /></a><br /><br /><br />Back in the VHS days, Blockbuster Video used to have a big sale during Labor Day weekend, where unrented tapes would be put up for sale. I would spend far too much time driving to various Blockbusters looking for wanted titles. Since my interest was in classic cinema and most Blockbuster patrons only rented the latest trash on the New Releases shelf,&nbsp; I usually found some real gems. <br /><br />One visit netted me a copy of THE MOLE PEOPLE, a terrible film to be sure, but one I'll probably watch many more times than the Best Picture winner that year, AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS.&nbsp; <br /><br />I was driving home when I saw vast amounts of steam coming from my car hood. I was at a red light when the car stalled. The blinkers went on and fortunately a squad car had seen me and followed me. He pulled up behind me, lights flashing and I waited in the back seat of the squad car for a tow truck to take me to the repair shop at my dealer, several miles away.&nbsp; I remember watching THE MOLE PEOPLE when I got home. After all, I didn't have a car to go anyplace.<br /><br />Jump ahead quite a few years and I'm in the car again, waiting for a red light to change. It does and I'm ready to go forward when the car dies. Nothing. I put the car in park and turned the key several times to no avail. Again, a squad car was nearby, noticed by flashing blinkers and pulled behind me. For the second time in my life, I waited in the back seat of a squad car until I could be rescued by a tow truck. <br /><br />Since the car repair shop was only eight blocks away, I walked home and there on the front porch was a package from Amazon, a DVD set of five 1950s science fiction movies, one of which was THE MOLE PEOPLE. <br /><br />What are the odds? I mean, really. What are the odds?<br /><br />I will never buy THE MOLE PEOPLE on Blu Ray. I can't afford another car repair bill. http://kevinsmoviecorner.blogspot.com/2014/07/dibs-and-dabs-russell-crowe-jersey-boys.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Deany)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229.post-3907232993962491749Mon, 16 Jun 2014 14:40:00 +00002014-06-16T07:40:14.557-07:00Fox musicalsMy Gal SalPaul DresserRita HayworthVictor MatureMy Gal Sal<style type="text/css">p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120%; }</style> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W9CdN0se14I/U5oJ97s80eI/AAAAAAAACSY/7ntRKNZ1Yf8/s1600/Poster+-+My+Gal+Sal+(1942)_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W9CdN0se14I/U5oJ97s80eI/AAAAAAAACSY/7ntRKNZ1Yf8/s1600/Poster+-+My+Gal+Sal+(1942)_01.jpg" height="320" width="221" /></a></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">We often think of Golden Age movie stars living a life of ease, making movies during the day and then going to nightclubs like Ciro's or The Brown Derby in the evening. But Golden Age movie stardom was hard work. When not making the actual movies, actors and actresses spent their days in endless publicity photo poses or learned new skills such as horseback riding, fencing or dancing the minuet for an upcoming movie. Such skills didn't come overnight and often required endless hours of rehearsal for a scene that may only last a minute or two on-screen. </div><div align="left"><br />That occurred to me while watching MY GAL SAL (1942), an above average entry in the period musical genre so favored by 20<sup>th</sup>Century Fox. </div><div align="left"><br />In one scene, Victor Mature plays two pianos at the same time during a medicine show. He swivels on his stool and continues to play the pianos behind him while facing the audience. I'm no expert on piano techniques, but Mature's fingering looks pretty spot-on to me. I don't know if Mature was musically inclined in real life, but if not, I can only imagine the hours of rehearsal he went through to make it look so convincing. </div><div align="left"><br />Fox had a penchant for celebrating obscure songwriters of the nineteenth and early 20<sup>th</sup> centuries, such as Fred Fisher in OH YOU BEAUTIFUL DOLL (1949), Joe Howard in I WONDER WHO'S KISSING HER NOW (1947) and Ernest Ball in IRISH EYES ARE SMILING (1944).</div><div align="left"><br />In MY GAL SAL, it's Paul Dresser's turn. Dresser's most famous song is probably “On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away”, written in 1897 and, according to Wikipedia, it became the second best-selling song – in sheet music sales – in the nineteenth century. Hoosiers liked it enough to make it the official state song of Indiana in 1913. </div><div align="left"><br />Much of what we know about Dresser comes courtesy of his brother, novelist Theodore Dreiser, author of “An American Tragedy”, which was made into a movie of the same name in 1931 with Sylvia Sidney and most famously in A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951). MY GAL SAL was adopted from his story “My Brother Paul.”(Paul Dreiser changed his name to Dresser when he was 20 years old). </div><div align="left"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wrN37-NnH0I/U5oKrWFqidI/AAAAAAAACSo/IGyIkZoIQ94/s1600/index.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wrN37-NnH0I/U5oKrWFqidI/AAAAAAAACSo/IGyIkZoIQ94/s1600/index.jpeg" /></a></div><div align="left">Still, even blessed with a novelist's imagination, I doubt Theodore would recognize elements of Paul Dresser's life in the wildly imaginative MY GAL SAL. But that's OK- truth belongs to documentaries, and MY GAL SAL is a most entertaining, Technicolor-drenched show. </div><div align="left"><br />An indelible part of the film's appeal is Rita Hayworth, who plays the film's title role. She's Sally Elliott, big theatrical star, who earns Dresser's enmity when she and some friends laugh at Dresser's music act at a medicine show. When he sees her perform, Dresser realizes that he's only been slumming in the medicine shows and is determined to make it to the big time. </div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7MhoD7khEas/U5oJD-jbD5I/AAAAAAAACSI/-t7dkTALULc/s1600/tumblr_lrxydmGHOH1r0rezxo1_500.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7MhoD7khEas/U5oJD-jbD5I/AAAAAAAACSI/-t7dkTALULc/s1600/tumblr_lrxydmGHOH1r0rezxo1_500.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a> </div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left">Rita Hayworth and Technicolor are made for each other, with her red hair and peaches and cream complexion beautifully captured by the Technicolor cameras.<br />If MY GAL SAL is not the equal of the musicals she made with Astaire or Kelly, it's still very enjoyable, though admittedly formulaic. </div><div align="left"><br />As is typical of these films, the two leads fall in love, fall out of love, and there's a misunderstanding or two until all is resolved. In the meantime we are treated to a series of musical numbers, some songs courtesy the pen of Dresser with others from the songwriting team of Leo Robin and Ralph Rainger. </div><div align="left"><br />(I've always been amused by the number of composer biographies that include new song numbers penned by studio songwriters.)</div><div align="left"><br />The interpolated songs are good ones, especially “Oh, the Pity of It All” charmingly sung by Mature (dubbed by Ben Gage, later Esther Williams' husband) and Hayworth (dubbed by Nan Wynn). I also liked “Me and My Fella and a Big Umbrella”, a charming number with Rita wearing a most fetching 1890s-style bathing suit. </div><div align="left"><br />The new ballad, “Here You Are” is a nice song but sounds exactly like it was written in 1942. It doesn't sound like anything from the 1890's. But I don't think Fox studio head Darryl F. Zanuck concerned himself very much with such matters. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CmL6-GA2Rco/U5oKRD9PF9I/AAAAAAAACSg/kNHL_kM-3_8/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CmL6-GA2Rco/U5oKRD9PF9I/AAAAAAAACSg/kNHL_kM-3_8/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Speaking of Zanuck, he could be very petty with actresses who didn't bend to his will. The Sally Elliott role was first offered to Carole Landis, but she refused to dye her blond hair red. Rita Hayworth was borrowed from Columbia for the role and Landis was given a nothing role as the gal in the medicine show who nurses Dresser back to health after he is tarred and feathered by an angry mob after the medicine show's elixir proves to be not so healthy. It's a demeaning role for one of Fox's most promising ladies, and proof one did not get on Zanuck's bad side. </div><div align="left"><br />I like Mature a lot in this too. His Dresser is brash, not particularly classy and a braggart. He sees a party thrown in Sally's honor as a party for him celebrating his first song hit. (Hayworth's reaction to this is priceless). But he brings some real vigor to the role and despite his coarseness, I couldn't help rooting for him. Rita and Victor dated in the early 1940s and their chemistry together is undeniable. </div><div align="left">&nbsp;<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6urdlp4vSDk/U5oJewYMGBI/AAAAAAAACSQ/FxKvAGDPwq8/s1600/mgspair.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6urdlp4vSDk/U5oJewYMGBI/AAAAAAAACSQ/FxKvAGDPwq8/s1600/mgspair.jpg" height="320" width="250" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7MhoD7khEas/U5oJD-jbD5I/AAAAAAAACSI/-t7dkTALULc/s1600/tumblr_lrxydmGHOH1r0rezxo1_500.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left">The film's choreographer Hermes Pan shows up as Rita's dance partner in “On the Gay White Way”, a terrific number that showcases Rita at her dancing best. The supporting cast can't be beat. Any movie with James Gleason and Frank Orth is worth cherishing. </div><div align="left"><br />Director is Irving Cummings, an old hand at material like this. He also directed one of Betty Grable's best period musicals, SWEET ROSIE O'GRADY (1943). If there's nothing particularly distinguished about these films, they at least move and are entertaining. </div><div align="left"><br />I've always liked Victor Mature. In the 1950s, my mom worked at a company and her boss served with him in World War II in the Coast Guard. He said he was a great guy who didn't take himself too seriously. </div><div align="left"><br />My favorite Victor Mature anecdote has to do with THE ROBE (1953). I don't want a horde of Richard Burton or Jean Simmons fans descending on me, but I think Mature gives the best performance in the film. Burton agreed and thought that he (Burton) gave a terrible performance. Burton liked telling the story of watching the scene where he is being bewitched by the power of The Robe, screaming, grimacing and making facial contortions, while Mature, in the background, has a beatific look on his face as he gazes heavenward.</div><div align="left"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1zo9fHviajk/U5oLpaHdJzI/AAAAAAAACSw/4dbJgL7_U8k/s1600/tunique-1953-02-g.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1zo9fHviajk/U5oLpaHdJzI/AAAAAAAACSw/4dbJgL7_U8k/s1600/tunique-1953-02-g.jpg" height="253" width="320" /></a></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Burton told him there he is on the screen making a complete idiot of himself while Mature stole the whole scene from him by standing there with that exalted look on his face. He asked Mature what he was thinking when they were doing that scene. </div><div align="left"><br />Mature told him, “ I was thinking of all the money Fox was paying me to stand here and look up at the ceiling.”</div><div align="left"><br />How can you not like that guy?</div>http://kevinsmoviecorner.blogspot.com/2014/06/my-gal-sal.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Deany)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229.post-7814396471479370003Tue, 27 May 2014 14:21:00 +00002014-05-27T07:21:30.310-07:0050s westernsAnthony MannDevil's DoorwayJohn AltonRobert Taylor. Louis CalhernFabulous Films of the 50s: Devil's Doorway<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7yAnSakJ1lM/U39zUbjDGMI/AAAAAAAACRk/0c-lTn6G6Po/s1600/devildoorway1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7yAnSakJ1lM/U39zUbjDGMI/AAAAAAAACRk/0c-lTn6G6Po/s1600/devildoorway1.jpg" height="320" width="218" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nQtqs7gdCh0/U39ytIt1LqI/AAAAAAAACRc/DRnSKuDf6Jo/s1600/DevilsPoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7BEAjHlFShY/U39waFdsPvI/AAAAAAAACQ8/YxBj36w-WCA/s1600/devilsdoorwaylobbycard21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><br />The name of this blogathon is Fabulous Films of the 50s and when it came to the western genre, the 1950s was indeed a fabulous decade. There were probably more genuinely great westerns in that decade than any other. <br /><br />1950 alone saw some of the greatest westerns ever made – BROKEN ARROW, THE FURIES, THE GUNFIGHTER, RIO GRANDE, THE STARS IN MY CROWN, WAGON MASTER and WINCHESTER '73, just to name a few. And DEVIL'S DOORWAY.<br /><br />Amazingly, director Anthony Mann directed three of these – DEVIL'S DOORWAY, THE FURIES and WINCHESTER '73. Any one of these three would earn him a standing ovation in the Westerns Hall of Fame. Three in one year is very impressive, and a strong argument for the studio system. No time spent developing properties by the director, the studio did it for you. <br /><br />Of the three, I'd probably give the number one spot to WINCHESTER '73, with DEVIL'S DOORWAY coming in a very close second. It's not as well known as it should be. It's sympathetic treatment of the American Indian was overshadowed that year by the huge success of the similarly themed BROKEN ARROW. I like BROKEN ARROW a lot, but its a more family-friendly movie, while DEVIL'S DOORWAY is stark, brutal and unrelenting.<br /><br />In her book Source: Anthony Mann (Wesleyan University Press, 2007). Jeanine Basinger astutely places Mann's western work in its proper context: “Mann might be said to have modernized the genre, incorporating into it an increased violence and using it to express man's vision to self, the conflicts of his inner psychology.”<br />. <br />In DEVIL'S DOORWAY Lance Poole (Robert Taylor), a full-blooded Shoshone, returns to his Wyoming home after serving with the Union Army during the American Civil War, where he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Upon his return though, he finds himself the target of bigotry and prejudice, with not even the basic rights of a citizen. <br /><br />The local doctor refuses to give up his poker game to treat&nbsp; his dying father, and the town bully starts a barroom brawl with Poole simply because he's a Shoshone.<br /><br />Poole owns a particularly coveted spread, eagerly wanted by the local ranchers. There's a loophole in the law uncovered by an Eastern lawyer named Verne Coolan (Louis Calhern), who wants the Shoshones driven from their land at all costs. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-si6iO0_pLw8/U39xDkMV6zI/AAAAAAAACRE/9a0fKczs5bY/s1600/devil-s-doorway-robert-taylor-paula-raymond-1950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-si6iO0_pLw8/U39xDkMV6zI/AAAAAAAACRE/9a0fKczs5bY/s1600/devil-s-doorway-robert-taylor-paula-raymond-1950.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>Poole enlists the aid of a new lawyer in town, A. Masters. To his shock, A. Masters turns out to be a woman, Orrie Masters (Paula Raymond, underrated here), who takes his case. I think she knows the Shoshones are getting a raw deal and should keep their land, but knows in her heart its a lost cause.&nbsp; <br /><br />Poole and his fellow Shoshones stand ready to defend their land to the death. The U.S. Cavalry sides with the townspeople, and Poole and the Shoshones make a last stand on their land. <br /><br />DEVIL'S DOORWAY deserves to be better known. It's a gorgeous film to look at. Mann and ace cinematographer John Alton film many scenes like a noir. There's a noir-like barroom fight where the spectators watch in sweaty-faced close up. Think THE SET-UP (1949) on the frontier. Much of the action plays in the shadows with some characters barely visible in conversations. <br /><br />The combination of Mann and Alton means there isn't a dull or uninteresting shot in the whole movie. (Anyone who thinks black and white photography is boring really needs to see this movie, or anything Alton shot in black and white). <br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xoSfqri3dQQ/U39xq72hrEI/AAAAAAAACRM/lDqLIhpwbvY/s1600/Devil%27s+DoorwayLiquor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xoSfqri3dQQ/U39xq72hrEI/AAAAAAAACRM/lDqLIhpwbvY/s1600/Devil's+DoorwayLiquor.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><br />Take the photographic treatment of Coolan. Dressed in black, Mann positions him often in the foreground or at a low angle looking up, as people in the background discuss what they will do with the Shoshones. He stands there quietly taking it all in, almost as if he represented the evil of bigotry. I don't mean to imply that he is demonic or anything like that, but the way he is presented its almost as if he personifies&nbsp; evil on the frontier, chortling inside as he spreads the ugliness of bigotry under a most respectable facade. Between this and his weak-willed lawyer turn in THE ASPHALT JUNGLE the same year, Louis Calhern had a banner year playing two very different villains.<br /><br />&nbsp;<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7BEAjHlFShY/U39waFdsPvI/AAAAAAAACQ8/YxBj36w-WCA/s1600/devilsdoorwaylobbycard21.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7BEAjHlFShY/U39waFdsPvI/AAAAAAAACQ8/YxBj36w-WCA/s1600/devilsdoorwaylobbycard21.jpg" height="249" width="320" /></a><br /><br />Unfortunately, DEVIL'S DOORWAY tanked at the box office, having the bad luck to open the same year as the very popular and similar-themed BROKEN ARROW. <br /><br />Basinger again: “DEVIL'S DOORWAY was not a critical or commercial success. Its reception was greatly harmed by the release of Delmer Daves's BROKEN ARROW, starring James Stewart as a western scout who tries to make peace with Cochise. Most critics saw Mann's film as a low-budget black and white rip-off of Daves. This was unfortunate, because DEVIL'S DOORWAY is a far superior film. BROKEN ARROW is self-conscious and talky, but its overt moralizing was taken seriously by the same critics who dismissed DEVIL'S DOORWAY. It was not Mann's style to film screenplays which discussed and presented concepts laid over a story. Rather he presented stories with ideas and concepts built into them, and the depth of his films is still overlooked on this basis....<br /><br />“A key to the relative honesty of the two films might be their attitudes toward sexual relationships between Indians and whites. In BROKEN ARROW, Stewart married an appropriately beautiful Indian maiden, Debra Paget, who is killed by whites. This cliched area of white-man-loves-Pocahontas is a staple of the old-fashioned western story and does nothing to further the truth about the plight of the Indians. On the contrary, the sight of Paget in her beautifully designed suede moccasins and color-coordinated beads is enough to send any white man scampering to the reservation. No love is allowed in DEVIL'S DOORWAY, a far more truthful situation and although white-man-can-love-redwoman, white woman still cannot love red man without shame and ostracism....<br /><br />“Fortunately, DEVIL'S DOORWAY has gained in reputation since its release. It is not only an honest portrait of the plight of the Indian, but it also has an interesting portrait of a pre-liberation woman. It is in every way a modern film. In Mann's career, it stands out as a major step forward, carrying over his noir sensibility, both formally and thematically, into a new genre.”&nbsp; <br /><br />Yes, a very modern film, though I suspect some contemporary audiences won't be able to get past the casting of Robert Taylor as a Native American. But he's terrific in it, and I would rank it among his top three performances. His Lance Poole is a very sympathetic character, giving everything for his country only to return to his home where he is treated less than dirt. <br /><br />I can see some actors gnashing their teeth and beating their chest as indignity after indignity is forced on them. But Taylor underplays, letting us see the very proud man trying to hold onto his values while hoping he can help his people as much as possible.&nbsp; It's a quietly physical performance, and I can't think of another actor who could have done as good a job. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BSZxF_Z-nus/U39yBvWM-BI/AAAAAAAACRY/8OtcER8BDZE/s1600/sdoorway1950roberttaylo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BSZxF_Z-nus/U39yBvWM-BI/AAAAAAAACRY/8OtcER8BDZE/s1600/sdoorway1950roberttaylo.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><br />Taylor made quite a few westerns in the decade, including two of the very best ever, WESTWARD THE WOMEN (1951) and THE LAST HUNT (1956). Even those of the more routine variety, such as AMBUSH (1950), RIDE, VAQUERO (1953) and THE LAW AND JAKE WADE (1958) are very entertaining contributions to the genre. Add DEVIL'S DOORWAY to the list and I think a good case can be made that Robert Taylor made many important contributions to the western film. <br /><br />I remember when DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990) opened, and while I enjoyed it, it it bugged me to no end how in interviews and press materials the movie was touted as the first Hollywood film to treat Native Americans with respect&nbsp; for their culture, instead of being the anonymous bad guys in hundreds of westerns. <br /><br />I'm no apologist for Hollywood's treatment of Native Americans, but that's simply not true. Most reporters and film journalists whose knowledge of film history only goes back to STAR WARS (1977) eagerly nodded their heads and lauded Costner and Co. for their bold stand on behalf of the continent's original settlers. There was an article in Film Comment that pointed out the fallacy to the film's defenders, but many writers thought DANCES WITH WOLVES was the first western to treat the Native American culture sympathetically.&nbsp;&nbsp; (I guess they never saw any of Richard Harris' MAN CALLED HORSE movies). <br /><br /><br />&nbsp;<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nQtqs7gdCh0/U39ytIt1LqI/AAAAAAAACRc/DRnSKuDf6Jo/s1600/DevilsPoster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nQtqs7gdCh0/U39ytIt1LqI/AAAAAAAACRc/DRnSKuDf6Jo/s1600/DevilsPoster.jpg" height="320" width="237" /></a><br /><br />But Hollywood was there long before DANCES WITH WOLVES. Movies like DEVIL'S DOORWAY and BROKEN ARROW also showed the injustice the white man showed to Native Americans. Even in the silent era, Richard Dix played a heroic Native Americans in THE VANISHING AMERICAN (1925) and the part-sound REDSKIN (1929) – the title may be racist but the film hardly is. <br /><br />There was the remarkable MASSACRE (1934) from Warner Bros., a pre-Code doozie with Richard Barthelmess trying vainly to save the reservation from ruin in the heights of the Depression, with hindrance after hindrance thrown up by crooked government officials. <br /><br />Some viewers who equate John Wayne with traditional western thinking might be surprised at some of his dialogue in HONDO (1953), where Wayne pretty much says he doesn't blame the Apaches for going on the war path, as the Apaches never broke a treaty while the U.S. Government broke every one they ever signed. <br /><br />So DANCES WITH WOLVES was hardly the first pro-Indian film, and far from the best, despite its many Oscars. Others were there first. DEVIL'S DOORWAY did it before and far more effectively. And as Basinger says, it's very modern, its starkly beautiful photography often in counterpoint with the stain of prejudice. It's one of the best westerns ever made, a tribute to Mann, Alton, Taylor and company.<br /><br />Be sure to visit the Classic Movie Bloggers Association website - http://clamba.blogspot.com/ - for a list of titles and blogs during this blogathon.&nbsp; <br /><br />http://kevinsmoviecorner.blogspot.com/2014/05/fabulous-films-of-50s-devils-doorway.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Deany)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229.post-5552818145695070355Sun, 04 May 2014 15:01:00 +00002014-05-04T08:01:09.070-07:00Alfred NewmanDarryl F. ZanuckEdison MarshallGene TierneyGeorge SandersJohn CromwellSon of FuryTyrone PowerTyrone Power Blogathon: Son of Fury<style type="text/css">p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; direction: ltr; color: rgb(0, 0, 10); line-height: 120%; text-align: left; }p.western { font-family: "Liberation Serif",serif; font-size: 12pt; }p.cjk { font-family: "Droid Sans Fallback"; font-size: 12pt; }p.ctl { font-family: "FreeSans"; font-size: 12pt; }a:link { }</style><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Fcj2NLQVWk/U2PInOysvlI/AAAAAAAACP0/TB5uswngFBQ/s1600/Son_of_furyPoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Fcj2NLQVWk/U2PInOysvlI/AAAAAAAACP0/TB5uswngFBQ/s1600/Son_of_furyPoster.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">This entry is happily part of the Power-Mad blogathon to celebrate the 100<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the birth of one of Hollywood's most enduring stars, Tyrone Power. Other entries can be found here: <a href="http://eves-reel-life.blogspot.com/2014/03/celebrating-tyrone-powers-100th-birthday.html">http://eves-reel-life.blogspot.com/2014/03/celebrating-tyrone-powers-100th-birthday.html</a>.</span></span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">For me, SON OF FURY (1942) is a prime representation of Golden Age Hollywood. Impossibly beautiful leading men and ladies, luminous cinematography, a haunting music score, studio craftsmanship able to convincingly recreate 19<sup>th</sup> century London, an English country manor house and a South Seas island paradise on the Fox back lot, and a seemingly never-ending cavalcade of unforgettable character actors. </span></span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">SON OF FURY is a perfect vehicle for star Tyrone Power. Twentieth Century Fox studio head Darryl F. Zanuck was always on the look out for suitable stories for his top male box office attraction, and while Power may have blanched at some of these roles, Zanuck knew his audience and what to give them – and he did, in some of the best adventure films ever made.</span></span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tyrone Power had that rare talent to wear period clothing and making it look completely natural. He inhabited those costumes like 007 wearing a tuxedo. And his beautiful speaking voice with clear diction made him an ideal fit for these roles. </span></span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zN7WuIlbd7k/U2PLtnR6F7I/AAAAAAAACQs/nj1WQzpruT8/s1600/sonoffury0512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zN7WuIlbd7k/U2PLtnR6F7I/AAAAAAAACQs/nj1WQzpruT8/s1600/sonoffury0512.jpg" height="320" width="208" /></a></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Based on the 1941 best-selling novel “Benjamin Blake” by Edison Marshall, SON OF FURY tells the story of young Benjamin Blake (Roddy McDowall), the illegitimate son of an English landowner who is brought up by his grandfather (Harry Davenport). His estate has been stolen from him by his uncle Sir Arthur Blake (George Sanders). </span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Blake works at the estate as a stable boy where he grows up to become Tyrone Power, falling in love with his cousin Isabel (Frances Farmer) and tormented on a regular basis by his cruel uncle. Finding Ben and Isabel together, Arthur whips Ben unmercifully. (Power seemed to get beat up or tortured by quite a bit in his adventure films, such as here and in THE BLACK SWAN the same year).</span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">With the help of kindly tavern keeper (Elsa Lanchester), Ben flees England and stows away on a ship headed to the South Seas. Upon discovery he is beaten up some more by the captain, but allowed to work his way for his passage. He befriends Caleb Green (John Carradine) who tells him of an island whose sea beds are loaded with pearls. </span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Po03A2cNfjo/U2PI12pFsGI/AAAAAAAACQY/eoUdRS7N9CI/s1600/son-of-fury-the-story-of-benjamin-blake-1942-tyrone-power-john-carradine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Po03A2cNfjo/U2PI12pFsGI/AAAAAAAACQY/eoUdRS7N9CI/s1600/son-of-fury-the-story-of-benjamin-blake-1942-tyrone-power-john-carradine.jpg" height="266" width="320" /></a></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ben and Caleb jump ship at the island, where they find a fortune in pearls. Ben falls in love with one of the girls on the island who he names Eve (Gene Tierney). After an idyllic time spent on the island, Ben returns to England, where he enlists the aid of London's sliest lawyer Bartholomew Pratt (Dudley Digges) to reclaim his birthright and extract revenge on his uncle, not only in court but in a well-staged bout of fisticuffs. </span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">While Marshall set his novel in the 1770s and early 1780s, Zanuck was having none of that. A July 1, 1941 memo from script coordinator Dorothy Hechtlinger wrote: “Mr. Zanuck is against using any kind of wigs in the motion picture. For this reason, we will change the period of the story proper to 1810, the period of LLOYD'S OF LONDON (Power's first starring role in 1936), which is a very good period. The prologue would take place around 1795.”</span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Not only was the novel's setting changed, but so was the title. Though “Benjamin Blake” had been a best seller, Zanuck wanted a punchier title. Zanuck liked one of the suggested titles, SON OF FURY, enough to keep it. Other titles considered were HE WHO CAME BACK and SON OF THE STORM. But “The Story of Benjamin Blake” was retained as a subtitle on the film's promotional materials and on the film's title card, to help rein in the book's many readers. </span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Though Power was always set for the lead, some of the initial casting ideas for the other roles are very interesting. Laird Cregar was penciled in for Sir Arthur and Ida Lupino as Isabel. Though Lupino was under contract to Warners at the time, she still owed Fox a picture in a contract dating back to her role in THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES (1939). Instead, Fox cast her opposite Jean Gabin MOONTIDE (1942). Maureen O'Hara was then slated until she was felled by appendicitis which required surgery and recuperation. Next up was Fox contract player Cobina Wright Jr., until a serious throat infection caused her to drop out. In desperation, Fox borrowed from Paramount the troubled but very talented Frances Farmer, in what proved to be her penultimate film appearance.</span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5pfFnEFVEJU/U2PIy913S6I/AAAAAAAACQM/loh-EdsEw7E/s1600/SonofFuryFarmerPower.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5pfFnEFVEJU/U2PIy913S6I/AAAAAAAACQM/loh-EdsEw7E/s1600/SonofFuryFarmerPower.jpeg" /></a> </div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For the role of Eve, Ben's South Seas love interest, Zanuck suggested “If we don't use a real native girl, Gene Tierney.” We now know Tierney from such roles as LAURA (1944) and LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN (1946), but at this point in her career being cast as a South Seas maiden likely didn't seem so odd. She had been already cast as an Arab in SUNDOWN (1941), and Asians in THE SHANGHAI GESTURE (1941) and CHINA GIRL (1942). She makes a most fetching Eve, especially when so lovingly photographed by ace cinematographer Arthur Miller on those moonbeam-drenched beaches. If Tierney in a sarong was enough to bring in the men, the ladies got Tyrone Power spending most of his South Seas scenes in his bathing trunks. Something for everyone. </span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's easy today to be critical about Gene Tierney cast as an island maiden, but context is everything. As socially conscious as he could be (and Zanuck was the most socially conscious of all the studio heads), there was no way Zanuck the businessman wasn't going to showcase his newest exotic-looking contract player and potential star opposite the studio's biggest leading man in what was sure to be one of the year's smash hits. </span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ShcHKr8iJVg/U2PIrdIO72I/AAAAAAAACP8/BkdKwIh_YRU/s1600/power-tierney-son-fury.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ShcHKr8iJVg/U2PIrdIO72I/AAAAAAAACP8/BkdKwIh_YRU/s1600/power-tierney-son-fury.jpg" height="320" width="261" /></a> </div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Because he was a former screenwriter Zanuck had an unusually acute sense of story structure. He was critical of screenwriter Philip Dunne's initial drafts, telling him in a memo:</span></span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">“You have Blake running away from social injustice so he can come back some day and cure the horrible conditions. We don't want to tell that kind of a story. We don't want this to be a social document. It must be a personal story – the story of a bastard who has the moral right to an estate using his wits against another man who has the legal right. It must be told with gusto – swashbuckling. It is a Monte Cristo setup and should be treated as such.”</span></span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Novelist Marshall seemed somewhat ambivalent about the final film and its many changes from the book, saying at the time of the film's release, “I wrote a book to be read; Fox has made a picture to be seen, and I think they complement each other nicely.” (I don't know what he thought of the adaptation of his 1951 book “The Viking” which was made into “The Vikings” (1958) with Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis. Hardly anything of Marshall's book is found in the movie.)</span></span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The film is loaded to the brim with great character actors. It's one of John Carradine's most appealing characterizations – it's such a pleasure to see him play a good guy for a change. Dudley Digges steals every scene he's in as the wily lawyer, and Elsa Lanchester delivers one of her loveliest and most understated performances here. No eccentricities, just a decent woman trying to do the right thing. </span></span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KdgqBPMlOVM/U2PIvcv4f6I/AAAAAAAACQE/6Pn4YS8GViY/s1600/George-Sanders-Son-Fury.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KdgqBPMlOVM/U2PIvcv4f6I/AAAAAAAACQE/6Pn4YS8GViY/s1600/George-Sanders-Son-Fury.jpg" height="320" width="257" /></a> </div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">George Sanders delivers his usual venom-dripped performance. One senses Sir Arthur enjoys every aspect of stealing his nephew's inheritance, and even when it looks like all is finished he's still trying to finagle matters to his advantage. Any movie is better with George Sanders in it. His wife is played by Kay Johnson, wife of director John Cromwell and mother to actor James Cromwell.</span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cromwell does a splendid job here. I've always thought he was a most unheralded director, based on his beyond marvelous THE PRISONER OF ZENDA (1937) and that small jewel of a movie THE ENCHANTED COTTAGE (1945). While not as good as those two masterpieces, SON OF FURY impresses with its sweep and lack of padding. There's a lot of story told in 98 minutes. </span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The film is also helped immeasurably by Alfred Newman's musical score. The film's major love theme – and its a beauty – had lyrics added to it by Mack Gordon and titled “Blue Tahitian Moon.” It achieved a modicum of success via recordings by Kenny Baker and Frances Langford, but without the smash success of Newman's haunting “The Moon of Manakoora” from John Ford's South Seas epic THE HURRICANE (1937). (While most famously used in the Ford film, that melody was originally composed for MR. ROBINSON CRUSOE (1932) starring Douglas Fairbanks.)</span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">SON OF FURY was successful enough to warrant a remake, TREASURE OF THE GOLDEN CONDOR (1953), with Cornel Wilde, George Macready, Anne Bancroft and Constance Smith in, respectively, the Tyrone Power, George Sanders, Frances Framer and Gene Tierney roles. Filmed in Technicolor and moved to Guatemala, it's not a bad little film (the Sol Kaplan score is first-rate, one of his finest), but can't compare with SON OF FURY. The Power film remains as watchable today as it did when it was first made. </span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o-QlWNGsW9g/U2PKfS8PfsI/AAAAAAAACQg/wIdzPUUoDx8/s1600/tumblr_lbtgzoz3F41qef0ojo1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o-QlWNGsW9g/U2PKfS8PfsI/AAAAAAAACQg/wIdzPUUoDx8/s1600/tumblr_lbtgzoz3F41qef0ojo1_500.jpg" height="320" width="249" /></a></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I know Power wished for more challenging roles from Zanuck, but he did exceptional work in the swashbuckling/adventure film genres. I've always felt he gave an Academy Award nomination-worthy performance in THE MARK OF ZORRO (1940) – it's probably my second favorite performance after his very atypical role in the classic NIGHTMARE ALLEY (1947). But Power, like Errol Flynn and to a lesser extent Stewart Granger, had the unheralded talent to look at home in other eras. It's much harder than it looks (ever see Brad Pitt in TROY(2004)? I think he's a terrific actor, but he was so out of place there). </span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's a tragedy that Power died so young. It would have been nice to see him make it to the nostalgic boom of the 1970s, become a respected character actor, and look at his past films and say, “Boy, those were some pretty entertaining films after all. Not bad. Not bad at all.”</span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Happy 100<sup>th</sup> Birthday to one of the great ones, an actor whose performances have given and continue to give enormous pleasure over the decades. </span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>(Background information on SON OF FURY came courtesy booklet notes from the SON OF FURY soundtrack CD, a Screen Archives Entertainment Production.)</i></span></div>http://kevinsmoviecorner.blogspot.com/2014/05/tyrone-power-blogathon-son-of-fury.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Deany)11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229.post-7024156031604490164Tue, 15 Apr 2014 14:41:00 +00002014-04-15T07:41:44.495-07:00gangstersJ. Edgar HooverJames StewartMervyn LeRoyThe FBI StoryJames Stewart Blogathon: The FBI Story <style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; direction: ltr; color: rgb(0, 0, 10); }P.western { font-family: "Liberation Serif",serif; font-size: 12pt; }P.cjk { font-family: "DejaVu Sans"; font-size: 12pt; }P.ctl { font-family: "FreeSans"; font-size: 12pt; }A:link { }</style> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FVGgUtW7mF8/U0gX0bZqo1I/AAAAAAAACOc/_hWtyyBvdSQ/s1600/FBI1920s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-freoo_YXXhE/U0gX6wj72PI/AAAAAAAACOs/_pfm0mpToL8/s1600/FBIMiles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-urlX6HsKxoI/U0gYBDhB8jI/AAAAAAAACO0/IaWsy4YtI3A/s1600/FBIPoster.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-egu8qYAweCE/U0gYJm9_mEI/AAAAAAAACPE/6gMzP2-ZCVM/s1600/FBIWest.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GDSbn4lsvYw/U0gb_WFssaI/AAAAAAAACPQ/fvT_ZW5UfJE/s1600/The_FBI_Story_-_1959_-_Poster.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GDSbn4lsvYw/U0gb_WFssaI/AAAAAAAACPQ/fvT_ZW5UfJE/s1600/The_FBI_Story_-_1959_-_Poster.png" height="320" width="206" /></a></div><br />THE FBI STORY (1959) is a product of its time, as conservative a movie made in the 1950s or any other decade. The FBI is portrayed as the finest friend the American citizen has, fighting against the Ku Klux Klan, those who would defraud Native Americans, gangsters, Nazis and, of course, Communists. I'm no&nbsp; expert on American crime, but I know the FBI was hardly the halo-wearing bureau as presented here. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Alas, while THE FBI STORY is not one of Jimmy Stewart's most memorable films, it does utilize many aspects of the famed Stewart persona, and provides a preview of his “befuddled” father character he would play in the upcoming decade.</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">With Stewart's FBI special agent Chip Hardesty character guiding us through many of the most memorable crimes and outlaws of the 20<sup>th</sup> century, there's a little something for every Jimmy Stewart fan. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">You want Stewart as an upstanding lawman upholding American values? You got it here. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">&nbsp;<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-egu8qYAweCE/U0gYJm9_mEI/AAAAAAAACPE/6gMzP2-ZCVM/s1600/FBIWest.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-egu8qYAweCE/U0gYJm9_mEI/AAAAAAAACPE/6gMzP2-ZCVM/s1600/FBIWest.jpeg" /></a></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">You like seeing Jimmy Stewart out west? Then you will likely enjoy a segment with Hardesty in Oklahoma investigating the murders of members of the Osage Indians and a plot to steal their oil-rich land. While the calendar says 1920s, it may as well be Stewart in the Old West, what with crooked bankers and shady lawyers. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Others may enjoy watching Stewart as family man. The family scenes get lots of footage with wife Vera Miles sometimes resentful, but ultimately accepting, of her husband's job and the responsibilities that come with it. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The casting of Miles is interesting because it gives us a what-if idea of what their scenes in VERTIGO (1958) would look like if Miles hadn't gotten pregnant and been replaced by Kim Novak. There's a scene involving a family crisis with close-ups of Stewart comforting Miles and one can't help but think of VERTIGO's many memorable close-ups. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-freoo_YXXhE/U0gX6wj72PI/AAAAAAAACOs/_pfm0mpToL8/s1600/FBIMiles.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-freoo_YXXhE/U0gX6wj72PI/AAAAAAAACOs/_pfm0mpToL8/s1600/FBIMiles.jpg" height="249" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">It may be one of the most fortuitous pregnancies in movie history because as much as I try, I can't see Vera Miles as Madeline (or Judy). Because THE FBI STORY came one year after VERTIGO, I think it's easier to imagine the VERTIGO possibilities than the other Stewart-Miles pairing in THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE (1962), glamor-wise the complete antithesis of VERTIGO. (I find Novak so perfectly cast I can't imagine anyone else in the role.) </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Stewart's scenes as the father trying to connect with his children look ahead to his father roles in such family friendly fare as TAKE HER SHE' S MINE (1963), MR. HOBBS TAKES A VACATION (1962) and DEAR BRIGITTE (1965). Personally, this is my least favorite Stewart persona, though I do enjoy the Mr. Hobbs film. The family scenes are the worst part of THE FBI STORY and help make the film an almost unendurable 149 minutes long. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">They also provide what is, for me, the most painful scene in Stewart's career, where Chip Hardesty, who has fought every type of villain under the sun, throws a hissy fit because one of his kids used all the tissue paper to make an angel costume for the school's Christmas pageant. Hardesty mopes, yells and complains and its embarrassing to watch. The scene seems to go on forever and it took awhile for me to re-adjust my sympathy back to the Chip Hardesty character. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-liSU3umiQ-I/U0gX3UfGrTI/AAAAAAAACOk/wPtNntNSLs8/s1600/FBIGuns.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-liSU3umiQ-I/U0gX3UfGrTI/AAAAAAAACOk/wPtNntNSLs8/s1600/FBIGuns.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">THE FBI STORY was directed by Mervyn LeRoy, and, alas, his best days were behind him. I'm not going to knock LeRoy, who directed several favorite films of mine, including two 1930s classics, I AM A FUGITIVE FROM A CHAIN GANG (1932) and GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933. Equal parts scrappy, biting and perceptive, these movies capture the 1930s as well as any documentary could, while being supremely entertaining. But none of the pep of these movies can be found in THE FBI STORY. A lumbering script, based on a best-selling 1956 novel by Don Whitehead doesn't help, but I'm not blaming LeRoy. He had less freedom on the film then any he did in his career, what with being under the steely glare of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover for the length of the production. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">According to “Official and Confidential: The Secret Life of J. Edgar Hoover” by Anthony Summers (G.P. Putnams Sons, 1993), Hoover cultivated Jack Warner for years. Agents would greet Warner at airports and arranged quick exits through the airport. If any studio was going to produce a love letter to the FBI, it was Warner Bros. Hoover provided THE FBI STORY with two special agents as technical advisors on government expense and five additional agents appeared in the film as agents. I'm guessing that in this case, technical advisors equals spies. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">(The Warner Bros. TV series, THE FBI was also produced under close scrutiny by the agency. Hoover read all the scripts and an agent was on the set at all times to ensure proper procedures were shown, scripts were never deviated from and the bureau was always shown in the most positive light.)</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Hoover could not have been more pleased with the film. He wrote to director LeRoy:</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">“Dear Mervyn: As I told you yesterday, words cannot express my complete delight at seeing THE FBI STORY. I felt certain the picture would be a great credit to the FBI but what I saw and heard was beyond my greatest expectations. Your treatment of the development and growth of our bureau, interwoven with a warm family story, will have a great impact on the American public. It was down with great warmth, humility and dignity...It can be truly be said you are one of us.” </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cdUDg1n3OHQ/U0gYFm8ZvhI/AAAAAAAACO8/IFgpSBTYOew/s1600/FBIStewart.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cdUDg1n3OHQ/U0gYFm8ZvhI/AAAAAAAACO8/IFgpSBTYOew/s1600/FBIStewart.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">According to “Puppetmaster: The Secret Life of J. Edgar Hoover” by Richard Hack (New Millennium Press, 2004), Hoover received $50,000 in unreported income for his services on the film as a technical consultant. No wonder he loved the film so much. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I've always thought THE FBI STORY came about due to the enormous success of THE UNTOUCHABLES television show, but that show premiered in 1959 as well. There seemed to be some sort of nostalgia boom in the late 1950s and early 1960s for the 1920s, especially its lawless years. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FVGgUtW7mF8/U0gX0bZqo1I/AAAAAAAACOc/_hWtyyBvdSQ/s1600/FBI1920s.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FVGgUtW7mF8/U0gX0bZqo1I/AAAAAAAACOc/_hWtyyBvdSQ/s1600/FBI1920s.jpg" height="176" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">While THE FBI STORY shows the bureau tracking down Pretty Boy Floyd, Ma Barker, John Dillinger and Machine Gun Kelly, each of these famous characters, and others, received their own movies. Mickey Rooney shot up the screen as BABY FACE NELSON (1957), Rod Steiger was a memorable AL CAPONE (1959), Charles Bronson was a violent MACHINE GUN KELLY (1958), Lurene Tuttle scowled her way through MA BARKER'S KILLER BROOD (1960), Dorothy Provine was no Faye Dunaway in THE BONNIE PARKER STORY (1958), John Ericson played PRETTY BOY FLOYD (1960), and Ray Danton impressed in THE RISE AND FALL OF LEGS DIAMOND (1960). Even Robert Taylor got into the act as a 1920s gangland lawyer in the superb PARTY GIRL (1958). And of course, we can't forget Josephine and Daphne hiding from gangsters in SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959). </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Sociologists more familiar than me with this fascination with the 1920s could provide a better explanation than me. Most of the above are of the B movie variety and have much more energy and zip than the often lethargic, though higher budget, THE FBI STORY. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But for its use of many facets of past Jimmy Stewart characterizations, and the first of his father vs. the generation gap characterizations, THE FBI STORY is worth watching for the Stewart admirer. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">This post is part of the James Stewart Blogathon hosted by the Classic Film &amp; TV Cafe. You can view the complete blogathon schedule here: <span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="http://www.classicfilmtvcafe.com/2014/03/announcing-james-stewart-blogathon.html">http://www.classicfilmtvcafe.com/2014/03/announcing-james-stewart-blogathon.html</a></u></span></span>) </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Lots of great films to be covered by a lot of terrific writers. It's going to be a great week. </div>http://kevinsmoviecorner.blogspot.com/2014/04/james-stewart-blogathon-fbi-story.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Deany)12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229.post-8124685657660984313Mon, 31 Mar 2014 15:22:00 +00002014-03-31T08:22:58.303-07:00Master Minds<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; direction: ltr; color: rgb(0, 0, 10); }P.western { font-family: "Liberation Serif",serif; font-size: 12pt; }P.cjk { font-family: "DejaVu Sans"; font-size: 12pt; }P.ctl { font-family: "FreeSans"; font-size: 12pt; }</style> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gxh4af_IqsQ/UzRJk45MdJI/AAAAAAAACNs/sKaHJePoHec/s1600/MasterMindsAtlas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1Co5iimZWug/UzRJwkhDD0I/AAAAAAAACN0/MHALb0fetDE/s1600/master-minds-movie-poster-1949-1020197262.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1Co5iimZWug/UzRJwkhDD0I/AAAAAAAACN0/MHALb0fetDE/s1600/master-minds-movie-poster-1949-1020197262.jpg" height="320" width="205" /></a></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">MASTER MINDS (1949) is one of the more amusing entries in the Bowery Boys series, and may prove of special interest to1940s horror movie fans. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">At 48 entries and, to date, the longest-running feature film series in film history, I happen to think the Bowery Boys movies, produced by Monogram Studios between 1946 and 1958, is one of the more underrated movie series of the era. While the films were primarily aimed at children, earlier entries tended to be a little gritter and earthier, and some, like ANGELS IN DISGUISE (1949) offer scenes that would not be out of place in the film noir classics of the era.</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Forty-eight films means all genres, situations and military branches got invaded by the Bowery Boys. Some of the more popular titles of their time, and today, are the entries were the Boys got involved in spooks, mad scientists, haunted mansions and monsters. The series' highest grossing film was THE BOWERY BOYS MEET THE MONSTERS (1954), one of the most self-explanatory titles in movie history (and an obvious cue from the success of the Abbott and Costello Meet movies).</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gxh4af_IqsQ/UzRJk45MdJI/AAAAAAAACNs/sKaHJePoHec/s1600/MasterMindsAtlas.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gxh4af_IqsQ/UzRJk45MdJI/AAAAAAAACNs/sKaHJePoHec/s1600/MasterMindsAtlas.jpg" height="216" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">One of the best of these is MASTER MINDS where Bowery dunce Satch (Huntz Hall) gets the uncanny ability to foretell the future after earning a toothache from eating too much candy. Chief of the boys, Slip Mahoney (Leo Gorcey) exhibits Satch's prophecy skills in a carny act. Satch really can foretell the future and attracts the attention of Dr. Druzik (Alan Napier), who wants to put Satch's brain into that of Atlas the Monster (Glenn Strange), creating an army of supermen and, in true Monogram fashion, take over the world. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Glenn Strange is perhaps best known for his three portrayals of the Frankenstein monster in three Universal horror pics, HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1944), HOUSE OF DRACULA (1945) and ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (1948). He also played an overalls-wearing werewolf in PRC's THE MAD MONSTER (1942). Physically imposing, Strange doesn't do much with the Frankenstein monster, especially in the first two entries.</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vdYt61H78Yc/UzRJhbXPb_I/AAAAAAAACNk/Uq_KcgDVIRY/s1600/GlennStrangeHuntzHall.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vdYt61H78Yc/UzRJhbXPb_I/AAAAAAAACNk/Uq_KcgDVIRY/s1600/GlennStrangeHuntzHall.jpg" height="216" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But in MASTER MINDS, Strange really cuts loose, perfectly mimicking Huntz Hall's body language to a T. While his voice is obviously Hall's dubbed in, he perfectly conveys the idea that Satch is inhabiting a monster's body. I've seen a lot of Bowery Boys movies in my time, and Strange nails Hall's mannerisms. Strange appeared in seemingly hundreds of movies and I can't lay claim to seeing all of them, or even most of them. But from what I have seen, I have to pick his role in MASTER MINDS as my favorite performance of his. He likely enjoyed the change of pace and more than rises to the occasion. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Playing on of Dr. Druzik's assistants is the lovely Jane Adams. Universal horror fans will likely recognize female lead Jane Adams, who played the hunchback nurse in HOUSE OF DRACULA. Caped Crusader fans with a severe Batman fetish might get a kick out of seeing TV's Alfred the Butler (Alan Napier) share scenes with cinema's first Vicki Vale, Jane Adams from the 1949 Columbia serial BATMAN AND ROBIN. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Another of the assistants is played by Skelton Knaggs. A name and a face perfectly suited for thrillers and horror movies, Knaggs moves and looks like a zombie even when he is doing as simple as walking across a room. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tzNg9p7TTxQ/UzRKVh5CHsI/AAAAAAAACN8/wZLzBiI2alA/s1600/masterm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tzNg9p7TTxQ/UzRKVh5CHsI/AAAAAAAACN8/wZLzBiI2alA/s1600/masterm.jpg" height="241" width="320" /></a></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">&nbsp;The movie itself is typical Bowery Boys shenanigans, which means I enjoyed it. For me, its one of the better entries. I always enjoy the never never land shown in Monogram horror movies of spooky mansions and hayseed law enforcement officers. All of the Boys (David Gorcey, Bennie Bartlett and Billy Benedict) have a little more to do than usual, and even sweet shop owner Louie (Bernard Gorcey, father of Leo and David) overcomes his courage of spooky places to impersonate a ghost to help save his profit-eating pals. (I'm currently re-watching the series, out of order, thanks to the Warner Archive, and hope to come across an entry where Slip, Satch and the Boys actually pay for something at Louie's Sweet Shop.)</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">MASTER MINDS is a most enjoyable entry in the horror comedy sweepstakes and I was glad to re-make its acquaintance. With 48 films, the Bowery Boys must have been doing something right.<br /><br />I'm very pleased to be participating in the James Stewart blogathon, April 14-18, sponsored by the Classic Film and TV Cafe site. On April 14, I'll be tackling THE FBI STORY (1959). Not a particularly great movie, but an interesting use of the Stewart persona and a preview of what the next decade held in store for Stewart. I'm looking forward to all of the great posts on one one of my favorite actors.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8iNwCx5sV08/UzmIQAi4QtI/AAAAAAAACOM/h7mOMG7bq2o/s1600/James+Stewart+Blogathon+banner+%233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8iNwCx5sV08/UzmIQAi4QtI/AAAAAAAACOM/h7mOMG7bq2o/s1600/James+Stewart+Blogathon+banner+%233.jpg" height="320" width="272" /></a></div>&nbsp;</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div>http://kevinsmoviecorner.blogspot.com/2014/03/master-minds.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Deany)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229.post-5249390744696328767Tue, 25 Feb 2014 21:56:00 +00002014-02-25T13:56:21.741-08:00Best Movies of 2013Worst Movies of 2013The Best and Worst Movies of 2013<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; direction: ltr; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); widows: 2; orphans: 2; }P.western { font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; }P.cjk { font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; }P.ctl { font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; }</style> <br /><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j0wn8NaDiJw/Uw0MhXLGkXI/AAAAAAAACK4/D79ClO4GKJg/s1600/26-blue-jasmine-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_NBEJOm2R94/Uw0MoSQI-yI/AAAAAAAACLA/UVVM1igc7KM/s1600/About-Time-Review.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gn6a_IDEc4E/Uw0MtIxj9kI/AAAAAAAACLI/vCUUWA1V9RY/s1600/AHijacking.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br /><i>(My apologies for the lateness of this Best of 2013 column. It's up much later than I planned, thanks to irritating computer problems and equally irritating life issues that sometimes pop up. An earlier, slightly longer and more refined version of this article was ready when it went away into computer heaven. I never had so many problems with a blog posting. But at least it's ready by the Oscars. The following is based on my viewing of 100 2013 releases I saw, either at the theater or on DVD, from January 1, 2013 to mid-February, 2014).</i></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I must admit to scratching my head when I read some articles proclaiming what a great year 2013 was for the movies, for I thought it was a fairly undistinguished one, especially compared to last year, which I thought was probably the best year for movies in a decade. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">2013? Overall, not so much. Oh there were some good movies to be had, but mainly of the independent film variety. Most of the splashy Hollywood productions were very disappointing, with the summer being, for me, offering one colossal clunker after another. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">One thing that struck me particularly this year, is that Hollywood has forgotten how to entertain. Even up to 10 years or so I can remember leaving some movies exhilarated and moved, but that rarely happens today. It does happen occasionally, but it was the rare occurrence this year when I left the theater with a smile on my face and a soaring feeling in my heart. (Don't get me started on the majority of new comedies I saw this year. Blech!) </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">It seems to me like many contemporary directors and producers think entertainment is a dirty word, and they’re almost afraid of providing a pleasurable reaction. Even ideally sure fire ideas like this year’s THE LONE RANGER and MAN OF STEEL were bogged down in their own sense of self-importance and spectacle for the sake of spectacle. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The summer was an especially loud and obnoxious one. The only big summer movie I enjoyed was the giant robot vs. giant monster epic PACIFC RIM. I saw it once, and enjoyed it, but have no desire to see it again. But at least I was entertained while watching it.</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I will give major props to our actors and actresses, many of which turned in terrific performances even in movies I didn’t care for, such as AMERICAN HUSTLE, THE WOLF OF WALL STREET and SAVING MR. BANKS (I swear if there was one more flashback to Australia I would have torn out my remaining hairs). Great acting on display here, even if the films themselves, were, for me, severely wanting. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Still, I’m not ready to write off Hollywood yet. The tide has to turn sometime. Last year was a great year and this year not so great. But if one looked past Hollywood and sought out some independent or smaller films, there were a lot of jewels to be found. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The following is my personal list of what I think are 2013’s best films. The list will will likely strike some as pretentious and snobbish. But I didn't respond to a lot of what was offered at the theaters and got the most satisfaction from the many fine independent films I saw last year. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">RUNNER UPS:</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Before I get to my top ten, the following films are ones that almost, but did not quite qualify for the Top Ten. Readers may want to realize I tend to rate films that are high on the emotional level – both happy and sad. I don’t mean schmaltz, but films that speak equally to the heart and the mind. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">&nbsp;<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PPZmscfiKr0/Uw0Nw5lfpWI/AAAAAAAACMg/ISClU9cV0Ms/s1600/OzTheGreatAndPowerful_FrancoKunis.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PPZmscfiKr0/Uw0Nw5lfpWI/AAAAAAAACMg/ISClU9cV0Ms/s1600/OzTheGreatAndPowerful_FrancoKunis.jpg" height="160" width="320" /></a><br /><br /><br />OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL – The year’s most pleasant surprise. I didn’t expect to like it, but I thought it was pretty darn good. Great candy-coated color too and production design, the likes of which we haven’t seen in a long time. It’s nice to see a fantasy film that wasn’t dominated by steely-looking gray or blue dominance. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yLrtcXaSt6w/Uw0NQUDh0FI/AAAAAAAACL4/B5TjiRXudWc/s1600/frances-ha-frances-ha-03-07-2013-4-g-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yLrtcXaSt6w/Uw0NQUDh0FI/AAAAAAAACL4/B5TjiRXudWc/s1600/frances-ha-frances-ha-03-07-2013-4-g-1.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a> <br /><br />FRANCES HA – Wonderful indie drama starring the great Greta Gerwig as one of these lovable but sad sack types we all know who just can’t seem to get it together. It was wonderful hearing that music too from the late, great French film composer Georges Delerue. I’m usually against using old film scores for new movies, but it sure was nice to hear real melody in a movie again. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nx9jnmylF5g/Uw0M3hfTzvI/AAAAAAAACLY/ZonoudhpIxA/s1600/Conjuring-large.ashx.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nx9jnmylF5g/Uw0M3hfTzvI/AAAAAAAACLY/ZonoudhpIxA/s1600/Conjuring-large.ashx.jpeg" height="182" width="320" /></a> <br /><br />THE CONJURING – The year’s scariest movie, and proof positive filmmakers can generate plenty of tension and willies without resorting to gore. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">&nbsp;<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NZ97LiF_-QU/Uw0OV5bkaYI/AAAAAAAACNQ/Ca0JrAMPffk/s1600/Way+WayBack.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NZ97LiF_-QU/Uw0OV5bkaYI/AAAAAAAACNQ/Ca0JrAMPffk/s1600/Way+WayBack.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a><br /><br />THE WAY WAY BACK – What can I say, I like coming of age dramas and in a year of good ones, this was one of the best. Sam Rockwell, Allison Janney and Steve Carrel deliver some of the best work of their careers.</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j0wn8NaDiJw/Uw0MhXLGkXI/AAAAAAAACK4/D79ClO4GKJg/s1600/26-blue-jasmine-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j0wn8NaDiJw/Uw0MhXLGkXI/AAAAAAAACK4/D79ClO4GKJg/s1600/26-blue-jasmine-2.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a> <br /><br />BLUE JASMINE – I like most Woody Allen movies and his winning streak. This is probably my favorite entry in a year of movies devoted to the ever increasing gap between the haves and have nots. Cate Blanchett delivers the year’s best performance.</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EKPWkV4x4QY/Uw0M-gIenDI/AAAAAAAACLg/xaXHVf1MQnE/s1600/DallasBuyersClub.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EKPWkV4x4QY/Uw0M-gIenDI/AAAAAAAACLg/xaXHVf1MQnE/s1600/DallasBuyersClub.jpg" height="228" width="320" /></a> <br /><br />DALLAS BUYERS CLUB – Another one where I liked the acting more than the actual film, but Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto deliver two of the year’s best performances about the early days of the AIDS crisis. Count me as a fan, so maybe I’m biased. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-898rZZjA_4Y/Uw0MyhTvMEI/AAAAAAAACLQ/paM2TY3Tdb8/s1600/CaptainPhillips.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-898rZZjA_4Y/Uw0MyhTvMEI/AAAAAAAACLQ/paM2TY3Tdb8/s1600/CaptainPhillips.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a> <br /><br />CAPTAIN PHILLIPS – Beautifully acted and written, this one just missed for me because I remembered a lot of details of the situation from, I believe, a <i>Vanity Fai</i>r article, and I’m not a fan of shaky-cam (such a cliché now). But there’s no denying the solidity of the acting here. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sGLmmLyRmv4/Uw0NedpvYbI/AAAAAAAACMI/u924txNgWcQ/s1600/Her-Review.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sGLmmLyRmv4/Uw0NedpvYbI/AAAAAAAACMI/u924txNgWcQ/s1600/Her-Review.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a> <br /><br />HER – Major props for originality, but for me, a tad too cold and antiseptic (this is a minority opinion). I also thought the main character, Theodore, was such a mope before and during his romance with his computer operating system that I didn’t care. Another demerit – too long by about 20-30 minutes.</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gn6a_IDEc4E/Uw0MtIxj9kI/AAAAAAAACLI/vCUUWA1V9RY/s1600/AHijacking.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gn6a_IDEc4E/Uw0MtIxj9kI/AAAAAAAACLI/vCUUWA1V9RY/s1600/AHijacking.jpeg" /></a> <br /><br />A HIJACKING – Similar to CAPTAIN PHILLIPS, this Danish film was a gripping look at a prolonged hostage situation involving Somali pirates as well. Unlike CAPTAIN PHILLIPS, which we knew how it was going to end, this drama fascinated with its look at the toil long negotiations take, not only on the captors and their prisoners, but the negotiators, the families involved and the board of directors of the shipping line who begrudge paying any more ransom than necessary. For me, the year’s most intense film. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1eMIMDMkZ_Q/Uw0OJ3scM1I/AAAAAAAACNA/F09nL4wvCvE/s1600/the_spectacular_now.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1eMIMDMkZ_Q/Uw0OJ3scM1I/AAAAAAAACNA/F09nL4wvCvE/s1600/the_spectacular_now.jpg" height="185" width="320" /></a> <br /><br />THE SPECTACULAR NOW – One of the best high school coming of age stories in a long time. Studious Shailene Woodley falls for likable though alcoholic Miles Teller and what happens when their feelings for each other start getting stronger. It's the type of movie where I was silently pleading with the characters not to go down certain life decisions. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">THE BEST FILMS OF 2013</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">My very personal picks for the year’s best movies. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YlylugANxrQ/Uw0NEBLLG_I/AAAAAAAACLo/D-ni3NP8NwQ/s1600/Disconnect.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YlylugANxrQ/Uw0NEBLLG_I/AAAAAAAACLo/D-ni3NP8NwQ/s1600/Disconnect.jpeg" height="133" width="320" /></a></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />10. DISCONNECT – HER is getting all the attention with its look at man’s relationships with his machines, but this multi-part story about how technology is affecting our relationships strikes me as more powerful. This one has continued to stick with me for a long time. Standout work by Jason Bateman. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_NBEJOm2R94/Uw0MoSQI-yI/AAAAAAAACLA/UVVM1igc7KM/s1600/About-Time-Review.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_NBEJOm2R94/Uw0MoSQI-yI/AAAAAAAACLA/UVVM1igc7KM/s1600/About-Time-Review.jpg" height="198" width="320" /></a> <br /><br />9. ABOUT TIME – This time travel romance was easily the most charming and beguiling film of the year, in a year of movies were such qualities were in woefully short supply. Rachel McAdams is luminous here and like the great characters of old, we eagerly await for Bill Nighy to appear and wish he was in more scenes. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gB0FWJO_LgA/Uw0NJIL_QaI/AAAAAAAACLw/TS67Bmv13uw/s1600/enoughsaid_2699537b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gB0FWJO_LgA/Uw0NJIL_QaI/AAAAAAAACLw/TS67Bmv13uw/s1600/enoughsaid_2699537b.jpg" height="199" width="320" /></a> <br /><br />8. ENOUGH SAID – Beautifully written, acted and directed middle-age romance starring James Gandolfini in one of his last roles and Julia Louis Dreyfuss as a couple befuddled by their relationship and how what one person thinks could derail a relationship. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-em8_BrClurM/Uw0N9OPISQI/AAAAAAAACMw/6w_MvgOMyjM/s1600/PlaceBeyondPines.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-em8_BrClurM/Uw0N9OPISQI/AAAAAAAACMw/6w_MvgOMyjM/s1600/PlaceBeyondPines.jpeg" /></a> <br /><br />7. THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES – Another multi-part movie where several disparate elements that play off each other over the course of many years culminate in a shattering conclusion. I think Bradley Cooper was better here than in AMERICAN HUSTLE, but the latter is getting all the love. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L48-fdjLooo/Uw0Noq5vv9I/AAAAAAAACMY/4LQU_sLOvdI/s1600/Nebraska.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L48-fdjLooo/Uw0Noq5vv9I/AAAAAAAACMY/4LQU_sLOvdI/s1600/Nebraska.jpeg" /></a> <br /><br />6. NEBRASKA – Beautifully shot in black and white and one of the year’s most beautifully expressive scores highlight director Alexander Payne’s road trip movie starring the great Bruce Dern in the performance of his career. Equally memorable work by the feisty June Squibb as his long-suffering wife. The biggest surprise for me was how much I liked Will Forte here. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qOA9Hu9CK7k/Uw0OCFem1XI/AAAAAAAACM4/UfwBjBSn-RA/s1600/ShortTerm12.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qOA9Hu9CK7k/Uw0OCFem1XI/AAAAAAAACM4/UfwBjBSn-RA/s1600/ShortTerm12.jpeg" /></a> <br /><br />5. SHORT TERM 12– Wonderful drama about a foster care facility and troubled teens and how those in charge are not much older than those they are caring for. Despite their own troubled pasts, these young adults do their best to tend to those they are responsible for. Beautifully acted, and also heart wrenching, the final shot of this film may be my favorite of the year. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4p1i8sxO4g4/Uw0NWYYv7xI/AAAAAAAACMA/qfDNtD80eEs/s1600/Gravity.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4p1i8sxO4g4/Uw0NWYYv7xI/AAAAAAAACMA/qfDNtD80eEs/s1600/Gravity.jpeg" /></a> <br /><br />4. GRAVITY - Not the final shot, but <span style="font-style: normal;">G</span><span style="font-style: normal;">RAVITY'</span><span style="font-style: normal;">s </span>final sequence, with Sandra Bullock desperately trying to return to Earth is probably my favorite and life affirming. The year’s greatest technical achievement. What I liked about GRAVITY is I’ve seen a lot of movies in my day. A lot of movies. But Gravity showed me visuals and situations I’ve never seen before. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7mHi5rof5RU/Uw0NjDW5zsI/AAAAAAAACMQ/FsNa3N7DXA4/s1600/Mud.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7mHi5rof5RU/Uw0NjDW5zsI/AAAAAAAACMQ/FsNa3N7DXA4/s1600/Mud.jpg" height="160" width="320" /></a> <br /><br />3. MUD – Deliberately paced, this Southern Gothic drama is one of the best coming of age movies I’ve seen in a young time, though the characters are younger than in THE SPECTACULAR NOW. Matthew McConaughey delivers his second best performance of the year, and Reese Witherspoon is the best she’s been in years. No other film had a better sense of time and place than MUD. An unforgettable experience. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l5ukZIZcpbc/Uw0N2QuxKkI/AAAAAAAACMo/0HoQNZZzikw/s1600/Philomena.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l5ukZIZcpbc/Uw0N2QuxKkI/AAAAAAAACMo/0HoQNZZzikw/s1600/Philomena.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a><br /><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">2. PHILOMENA – The year’s most moving experience I had in a movie theater last year. Yes, I’m something of a softie, so that may have something to do with it. Some have said this is Anti-Catholic. I didn’t find it that way, and I attend mass every week. But it is a very powerful tale of forgiveness and Judi Dench is unforgettable as Philomena Lee who had her son taken away for adoption by nuns 50 years ago. She only wants to find out what happened to him and if he was happy. Wonderful on every level. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X_mnmIGbN0k/Uw0OPieCwII/AAAAAAAACNI/vFCFhmBiR2k/s1600/twelve-years-a-slave-michael-fassbender.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X_mnmIGbN0k/Uw0OPieCwII/AAAAAAAACNI/vFCFhmBiR2k/s1600/twelve-years-a-slave-michael-fassbender.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a> <br /><br />1. 12 YEARS A SLAVE – My pick for the best film of the year is one of the most brutal and difficult to watch films. We all know how cruel slavery is but never has it been painted on such a dehumanizing level for both slaves and slave owners equally. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">THE WORST OF 2013</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Here my choices for the worst films of the year, each and every one of these an excruciating experience. How bad were they? If I left the theater after watching one of these turkeys, got into my car, turned on the radio and heard there was an asteroid on an imminent collision course with Earth, I would not try to flee to high ground. That’s how dispiriting these movies were.</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I’m not going to rank them, because they all stink to high heaven. No descriptions either, as I don’t want to waste any more time on them than necessary.</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In the order in which I saw them:</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">PAIN AND GAIN</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">MAN OF STEEL</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">AFTER EARTH</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">WHITE HOUSE DOWN</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">THE HANGOVER III</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">THIS IS THE END</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">THE LONE RANGER</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">GROWN UPS 2 </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">RIDDICK</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">THE FIFTH ESTATE</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Here's hoping 2014 gives us a year of great movies enjoyed by friends and family along with much good health and happiness. And more than a few TCM premieres. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></div>http://kevinsmoviecorner.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-best-and-worst-movies-of-2013.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Deany)8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229.post-4993261411865372012Fri, 24 Jan 2014 17:59:00 +00002014-01-29T08:36:32.379-08:00Alan HaleDimitri TiomkinJr.Lady in the Iron MaskLouis HaywardPatricia MedinaLady in the Iron Mask<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument></xml><![endif]--><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><img src="//img2.blogblog.com/img/video_object.png" style="background-color: #b2b2b2; " class="BLOGGER-object-element tr_noresize tr_placeholder" id="ieooui" data-original-id="ieooui" /><style>st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style><![endif]--> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AWkRDCa-pDE/UuKoIDi76nI/AAAAAAAACJ4/zU1bsb3nxkY/s1600/LadyinIronMaskGroup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FaQ7alHY8EM/UuKogJLDzhI/AAAAAAAACKY/2SRgjYDwAJc/s1600/LadyinIronMaskMedinaMask.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ph2rCTUQppY/UuKolhqddFI/AAAAAAAACKg/qucN-8dnIHU/s1600/LadyInIronMaskPoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ph2rCTUQppY/UuKolhqddFI/AAAAAAAACKg/qucN-8dnIHU/s1600/LadyInIronMaskPoster.jpg" height="320" width="209" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">It took me several decades, but I finally got to see LADY IN THE IRON MASK (1952) which for many years was one of my most sought-after titles. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It wasn’t under idyllic circumstances that I saw it. The bootleg DVD of this color film was in black and white, and was eight minutes shy of its 78-minute running time. But my curiosity has been satisfied and I was glad to finally see it under any circumstances.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Was it worth the wait? I would say yes. I didn’t have particularly high expectations of it and its less than perfect version is not the ideal way to judge it. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">But what I saw I enjoyed.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Why did I want to see LADY IN THE IRON MASK so much? Well, it’s a swashbuckler, one of my favorite genres, and starred Louis Hayward, one of my favorite actors in that genre. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">For many years I assumed it was a Fox film, so couldn’t understand the difficulty to see it. But the credits read a Walter Wanger Production - a little easier to understand its relative rarity. Independent films often fall through the cracks. Still, the film was distributed by Twentieth Century Fox, so I assumed the production values would be high, as other Wanger productions were. . </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Plus, it had a Dimitri Tiomkin score and I was very interested to hear how the Russian maestro would handle a swashbuckling film. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I must say, Dimitri didn’t disappoint as the main title is a marvelously rousing piece, and sets the stage for the adventure to follow, which, let’s face it, is really nothing more than what the title explains, a distaff version of the famous Alexandre Dumas novel “The Man in the Iron Mask.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FaQ7alHY8EM/UuKogJLDzhI/AAAAAAAACKY/2SRgjYDwAJc/s1600/LadyinIronMaskMedinaMask.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FaQ7alHY8EM/UuKogJLDzhI/AAAAAAAACKY/2SRgjYDwAJc/s1600/LadyinIronMaskMedinaMask.jpg" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Instead of a king being kidnapped and having his head wrapped in an iron mask, it’s a queen this time. Patricia Medina plays twin sisters Queen Anne and Princess Louise. John Sutton plays the Duc de Valdac who replaces the Queen with her sister. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The musketeers, including D’Artagnan (Hayward), Porthos (Alan Hale, Jr.), Aramis (Judd Holdren) and Athos (Steve Brodie) are charged with finding the real queen before the coronation can take place, and strop the Duc de Valdac’s plans to be the real power behind the throne. One of the clues is the placement of a birthmark on the real queen. There’s some innuendo as to where the birthmark is located, but this being the 1950s, its locale is not as salacious as one led to believe at the beginning. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Nothing new here, but it’s played with the right amount of gusto. Director Ralph Murphy has a decent eye for composition that I could discern through the murky bootleg quality of the DVD. There are some effective tracking shots during a chase on horseback and some inventive staging during a duel scene in a torture chamber. Said chamber is manned by the massive Tor Johnson. It’s always fun when he turns up. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_o8pmgXcrm4/UuKopj-Ls7I/AAAAAAAACKo/8mMYgLPbkvA/s1600/LadyinIronMaskTorJohnson.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_o8pmgXcrm4/UuKopj-Ls7I/AAAAAAAACKo/8mMYgLPbkvA/s1600/LadyinIronMaskTorJohnson.jpg" height="247" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">LADY IN THE IRON MASK was filmed using a cheaper color process called Naturalcolor, one of the cheaper processes and one I am not familiar with. Due to the DVD being in black and white, I can’t judge what the color was like. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Still. I’m a fan of these medium-budget swashbucklers, and Louis Hayward is the first name that comes to mind with them. He starred in quite a few gems, especially his first forays into the genre, THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK (1939) and my favorite, THE SON OF MONTE CRISTO (1940). </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">He may not have had the cache of a Flynn, Power, Fairbanks or Granger, but if producers wanted a swashbuckler hero to carry their “B” swashbucklers, then Hayward was the man. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In addition to being a hero on screen, Hayward was a World War II hero in real life, though at enormous personal cost. Compare the pre-war Hayward to the post-war one, and one can see the effect his war service took on him. The swashbuckling portrayals he did after the war are less ebullient, more grounded.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I can think of few actors whose portrayals before and after the war are so stark in their contrast. The vivacity on display in THE SON OF MONTE CRISO is considerably muted in such roles as THE RETURN OF MONTE CRISTO (1946) or THE BLACK ARROW (1948). I’m not implying he’s moping around, but there’s a weariness and ennui not present in those earlier roles. The post-war Louis Hayward would not be able to give as appealing a performance as he gives in THE SON OF MONTE CRISTO.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">“Stars in the Corps: Movie Actors in the United States Marines” by James E. Wise, Jr. and Anne Collier Rehill (Naval Institute Press, 1999) gives a very interesting account of Hayward’s wartime service. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The South African-born Hayward became an American citizen on Dec. 6, 1941, one day before Pearl Harbor. He enlisted in the Marines on June 8, 1942. Because of his film background, he was commissioned on July 1, 1941 as a first lieutenant, in the Marine Corps Photographic Section. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">He and his camera crew filmed the Marines landing at Tarawa. Not from a ship, but Hayward and crew jumped from the landing craft onto the beach along with the Marines, cameras running the whole time through a gauntlet of bullets and explosions from the defending Japanese. Their footage found its way into the documentary film WITH THE MARINES AT TARAWA which was awarded the Oscar for Best Documentary of 1944. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NrSsaR4uEKI/UuKoT4NIGcI/AAAAAAAACKI/zLKN4hs7q5E/s1600/LadyinIronMaskHaywardWWII.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NrSsaR4uEKI/UuKoT4NIGcI/AAAAAAAACKI/zLKN4hs7q5E/s1600/LadyinIronMaskHaywardWWII.jpg" height="320" width="247" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Despite the film’s success, the experience took a heavy toll on Hayward. As Wise and Rehill write: </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">“He came home a changed man: pale, withdrawn, deeply disturbed about the violent death he had managed to crawl away from while leaving so many others there forever. From time to time he began to tell (then wife Ida Lupino) about some things about Tarawa, but then he would fall suddenly silent….He was then assigned to assist in processing the film footage for the final cut of WITH THE MARINES AT TARAWA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Day after day he had to relive the battle, shown in grotesque scenes that the general public would never see. He grew even more moody and nervous at home and suffered severe asthma attacks. In the end, he and Ida, unable to recover their former intimacy, separated, remaining on friendly and mutually supportive terms.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In June of 1944, Hayward suffered a complete physical collapse, and he spent his remaining two months in the Corps as a patient in naval hospitals.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">He was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps on November 9, 1944.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>He was awarded the Bronze Star with Combat “V” with the following citation:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">“For meritorious service as Assistant Intelligence Officer in Charge of Combat Photography of the Second Marine Division, prior to and during operations against Japanese forces on Tarawa, Gilbert Islands, from 20 to 28 November 1943. Personally going ashore with the assault units of the division despite grave hazards, Captain Hayward skillfully and daringly directed his men in their efforts throughout the battle and afterwards while photographing the enemy defenses for intelligence studies. By his efficient preparation in training his men in all phases and techniques of combat photography and his tireless leadership ashore, he succeeded in producing a comprehensive and technically excellent coverage of our forces in battle. Captain Hayward’s professional ability, courageous conduct and tireless devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. Captain Hayward is authorized to wear the Combat “V.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">He resumed his film career with one of his finest films, the best adaptation of the famous Agatha Christie mystery AND THEN THERE WERE NONE (1945).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Few actors were as lucky Hayward for their return to the screen.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Hayward’s last film before joining the service showcases probably his best performance in LADIES IN RETIREMENT (1941), a terrific melodrama that ranks with one of the best movies in one of the greatest movie years ever. Like Tyrone Power’s greatest performance in NIGHTMARE ALLEY (1947), Hayward demonstrated his acting talents by playing against type. Both actors seem to relish the opportunity these roles offered and really deliver the goods.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CkxsLnOrvUw/UuKoap0Q8YI/AAAAAAAACKQ/RDF24arSHhs/s1600/LadyinIronMaskLobbycard.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CkxsLnOrvUw/UuKoap0Q8YI/AAAAAAAACKQ/RDF24arSHhs/s1600/LadyinIronMaskLobbycard.JPG" height="248" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Costume adventure films were big in the post-war years. The European markets were again open and these types of films always played very well overseas. So Hayward again donned sword and cape for these medium-budget swashbucklers, many of them for Columbia. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Four of them co-starred raven-haired Patricia Medina, making them a B-team Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. Ironically, their first film together was FORTUNES OF CAPTAIN BLOOD (1950), echoing the first film Errol and Olivia made as a team. This was followed by THE LADY AND THE BANDIT (1951), LADY IN THE IRON MASK (1952) and CAPTAIN PIRATE (1952). Medina was pleasant enough, if lacking in the spirit de Havilland brought to her roles.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In yet another nod to the great Flynn, Flynn’s friend and frequent co-star Alan Hale played Porthos in Hayward’s THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AWkRDCa-pDE/UuKoIDi76nI/AAAAAAAACJ4/zU1bsb3nxkY/s1600/LadyinIronMaskGroup.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AWkRDCa-pDE/UuKoIDi76nI/AAAAAAAACJ4/zU1bsb3nxkY/s1600/LadyinIronMaskGroup.jpg" height="258" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In LADY IN THE IRON MASK, Alan Hale, Jr. plays Porthos. The same year, he was the son of Porthos in RKO’s AT SWORD’S POINT, one of the liveliest of the “B” swashbucklers. He would play Porthos one last time, in THE FIFTH MUSKETEER (1979), another Iron Mask take-off which features a cameo by Olivia de Havilland as the Queen Mother. Kevin Bacon has nothing on these folks. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IHd-OlTKN7w/UuKoM8NTZ1I/AAAAAAAACKA/MtVn1qUC99E/s1600/LadyinIronMaskHaywardHead.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IHd-OlTKN7w/UuKoM8NTZ1I/AAAAAAAACKA/MtVn1qUC99E/s1600/LadyinIronMaskHaywardHead.jpg" height="320" width="256" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">LADY IN THE IRON MASK is no world-beater, but I enjoyed it. I hope to see the complete film in color one day. It’s a nice showcase for Hayward, who for me remains one of those actors like Tom Conway. While they may have headlined their movies, they never attained the super star status. But I’m always happy to see them in a movie. Louis Hayward was one of the most appealing actors to ever wield a sword on screen and I was very glad to finally see this most elusive of titles. </div>http://kevinsmoviecorner.blogspot.com/2014/01/lady-in-iron-mask.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Deany)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229.post-2515308916750781073Mon, 16 Dec 2013 15:19:00 +00002013-12-16T07:19:53.423-08:00Arnie BernsteinChicago moviesHollywood on Lake MichiganMichael CorcoranBook Review: Hollywood on Lake Michigan: 100+ Years of Chicago and the Movies <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument></xml><![endif]--><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><img src="//img2.blogblog.com/img/video_object.png" style="background-color: #b2b2b2; " class="BLOGGER-object-element tr_noresize tr_placeholder" id="ieooui" data-original-id="ieooui" /><style>st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style><![endif]--><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8vm0G6JUmdc/UqomwVN3oUI/AAAAAAAACJk/SoctCrqXSLQ/s1600/ChicagoBook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8vm0G6JUmdc/UqomwVN3oUI/AAAAAAAACJk/SoctCrqXSLQ/s320/ChicagoBook.jpg" width="204" /></a></i></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(A copy of Hollywood on Lake Michigan: 100+ Years of Chicago and the Movies by Michael Corcoran and Arnie Bernstein (Chicago Review Press, 2013) was submitted to me for review.)</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">As a lifelong resident of the Chicago area, and a movie fan for about as long, I had a marvelous time reading the second edition of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hollywood on Lake Michigan: 100+ Years of Chicago and the Movies</i> by Michael Corcoran and Arnie Bernstein. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I had bought, and enjoyed, the first edition of the book, but there’s a lot of fascinating new material on hand for the new edition. So many movies have been shot in the Chicago area since the first book came out that there’s lots of interesting tidbits to enjoy. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The book is loaded with not only stories and anecdotes, but interviews with moviemakers with deep Chicago roots, such as writer/director Harold Ramis, producer Michael Shamberg, actress Irma P. Hall and so many others. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Plus, the authors have substantially beefed up the section on the early days of cinema, where for a short time it looked like Chicago might be the nation’s movie making capital. This is what I found particularly interesting. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Just outside Chicago’s borders was lots of undeveloped land, perfect for the shooting of westerns in the early days of the movies. William Selig opened one of the first movie studios in Chicago and hired the screen’s first cowboy star, Bronco Billy Anderson, to make a series of westerns. As the authors explained, “Circus horse riders were hired to play cowboys, and Native Americans were brought in from Michigan as Selig’s Indians. Teepees were erected on the studio lot that doubled as both housing for the Native American actors and sets for the Selig westerns.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The first royalty payments to an author for a movie took place in 1914 when Selig paid author Rex Beach royalties for “The Spoilers”. That early version, starred William Farnum and the Alaska-set story was filmed in Chicago. Anyone who has ever experienced a Chicago winter can easily suspend belief. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Another studio that called Chicago home was Essanay. Charlie Chaplin’s contract with Mack Sennett’s Keystone Studios ended, and Chaplin was eager to strike out on his own. Chaplin accepted an offer at Essanay, but eventually chafed under the restrictions Essanay forced on him. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4TEpu4H5Oh0/Uqom2XIxn9I/AAAAAAAACJo/tr2jKosqg3A/s1600/ChicagoChaplin.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4TEpu4H5Oh0/Uqom2XIxn9I/AAAAAAAACJo/tr2jKosqg3A/s320/ChicagoChaplin.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">His short time in Chicago was not a happy chapter in Chaplin’s life, though he did begin a lifelong friendship with&nbsp;<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4TEpu4H5Oh0/Uqom2XIxn9I/AAAAAAAACJo/tr2jKosqg3A/s1600/ChicagoChaplin.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Ben Turpin when they made “His New Job” (1915) together. Also in the cast was a young Gloria Swanson, a Chicago native anxious to make good in the fledging motion picture industry.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">When Chaplin’s contract with Essanay ended in 1916, he signed a new contract with the Mutual Film Corporation, starting a string of some of the most popular comedies ever made. I’m sure the California climate was more agreeable to Chaplin as well.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Probably the most prestigious silent film made in Chicago was D.W. Griffith’s “That Royale Girl” (1925) starring Carol Dempster and W.C. Fields.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The climax features a tornado destroying the hideout of some gangsters. Griffith said the tornado was “the only elemental thing I could use that could carry on and culminate the fury of life in Chicago – the vortex of disordered – humanity.” </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I was intrigued to read that the first movie screened at the Vatican was “The Coming of Columbus” in 1912. Pope Pius X watched the movie, filmed in Chicago, using replicas of the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria originally built for the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The three ships were sailed to Jackson Park Yacht Basin, where Columbus’s famous discovery of America was re-created. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I also enjoyed many anecdotes in the book, including the accidental extras in “North by Northwest” (1959) and Maureen O’Sullivan being painfully reminded of her cinematic past. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q1qdd3rZcCI/UqomU-I6rJI/AAAAAAAACI4/-mLVEfa1YSk/s1600/ChicagoNXNW.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q1qdd3rZcCI/UqomU-I6rJI/AAAAAAAACI4/-mLVEfa1YSk/s320/ChicagoNXNW.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">“North by Northwest” was one of the rare films shot in Chicago in the 1950s. A Midway Airport scene on the tarmac had Leo G. Carroll explaining part of the plot to Cary Grant. But Corcoran and Bernstein give us more. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">“Look closely during this scene and you’ll notice two men in the background. Extras? Hardly. During the shoot, Bill Blaney, an airport worker at the time, and one of his colleagues snuck onto the runway to catch a peek at Cary Grant. Upon seeing the two men on the runway, Blaney recalled, Hitchcock was outraged. The master of suspense berated the duo for ruining the shot and ordered them to leave. Nevertheless, Blaney and his pal remained in the final cut, giving <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">North by Northwest</i>a slightly more realistic look, albeit through a volunteer effort.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I’ve enjoyed “North by Northwest” countless times but don’t recall seeing the gentlemen described here. Looks like I’ll have to watch the film again.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">Robert Altman’s film “A Wedding” (1978) was shot on the grounds of the Armour Estate in Lake Bluff, a tony suburb known for its expensive real estate. The cast included Mia Farrow, Lauren Hutton, Paul Dooley, Howard Duff, Dina Merrill, Carol Burnett, Geraldine Chaplin and Lillian Gish. Apparently the shoot was a happy one, with Cinematographer Steven B. Poster likening the experience to summer camp: “The children working in the movie would love to have Carol Burnett do her Tarzan yell. Every day, somewhere on the Armour estate you would hear way off in the background this wonderful person doing her Tarzan yell. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">“One day, I was sitting in front of the main house. There was a big circular driveway and this huge limousine drove up. Maureen O’Sullivan, Mia Farrow’s mother, got out of the car. At that moment, somewhere on the estate, Carol was doing her Tarzan yell, because the kids got her to do it again. For a second, I saw Maureen O’Sullivan’s eyes glaze over. Of course, she had played Jane opposite Johnny Weissmuller’s Tarzan. I think she thought she was back in the Tarzan movies! It was hysterical. Carol found out about it later and was extremely embarrassed. It was one of those golden moments.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">“Call Northside 777” (1947) is a terrific movie for many reasons, but what fascinates me are the scenes of Chicago circa 1947. It’s like time travel, going back in time where all those intersections and streets one walks on every day are simultaneously the same and yet so different. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZNsbhQW7uHs/UqomPuPDZfI/AAAAAAAACIw/HWinDn-7mbs/s1600/ChicagoNorthside.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZNsbhQW7uHs/UqomPuPDZfI/AAAAAAAACIw/HWinDn-7mbs/s320/ChicagoNorthside.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">What I’m not happily familiar with, except from the movie, are the prison scenes in “Call Northside 777”, which were filmed at Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">What I didn’t know is a few years previously 20<sup>th</sup>Century Fox had made an earlier visit to Stateville to film scenes for a film unknown to me, “Roger Touhy, Gangster” (1944). At a time when almost all movies were filmed in Hollywood, Fox saw fit to send a crew, along with Preston Foster, Anthony Quinn and Henry Morgan to Stateville to film the prison scenes there. Yet another movie to be on the lookout for. .</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R_BfuuntRjU/UqomaFUu8xI/AAAAAAAACJA/EXratT_Sv60/s1600/ChicagoRogerTouhy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R_BfuuntRjU/UqomaFUu8xI/AAAAAAAACJA/EXratT_Sv60/s320/ChicagoRogerTouhy.jpg" width="209" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Movies Up Close&nbsp;</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Reading about the many movies filmed in the Chicago area over the last couple of decades brought back lots of memories. Thanks to going to college in downtown Chicago, and working there since the mid-1980s, I’ve been lucky enough to see a few movies being made, or been lucky enough to work in buildings near where some moves where filmed. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I saw Tom Hanks walk out of the Wrigley Building and yell at a cop for giving him a ticket in “Nothing in Common” (1986). When director Garry Marshall yelled “Cut and print”, everyone watching applauded. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I saw Arnold Schwarzenegger get out of a limo and prepare to shoot a scene for “Raw Deal” (1986). He was shorter than I expected. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XDOmn35jhug/UqomgDlRUaI/AAAAAAAACJI/zUCSEh6KXMQ/s1600/ChicagoStraightTalk.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XDOmn35jhug/UqomgDlRUaI/AAAAAAAACJI/zUCSEh6KXMQ/s320/ChicagoStraightTalk.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">One sunny afternoon, a group of us from the office went out to lunch and were strolling down Wacker Drive and came across a crew getting ready to shoot a scene for “Straight Talk” (1992), an underrated romantic comedy starring James Woods and Dolly Parton. Woods was standing on the corner talking to someone and this group of office girls across the street started yelling his name. He looked up and waved to them. The girls started screaming like they were at a Beatles concert. He shook his head, grinned and went back to talking to the gentleman. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">My home town of Dolton, a south suburb, only got bit by the Hollywood bug once, for one scene in “The Package” (1989), a spy thriller starring Gene Hackman and Tommy Lee Jones, which authors Corcoran and Bernstein applaud for Chicago’s ability to stand in for multiple international locations. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">As they explain, “The action opens in what was then East Berlin, switches to Washington D.C., and winds up in the Windy City. Yet with the exception of some establishing footage shot in East Germany, the entire film was made in the Chicago area.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I haven’t seen the film since it came out but remember liking it very much. The scene filmed in Dolton had Hackman going to a house to question someone. If memory serves, the scene in the story was set in Virginia, but Dolton filled the bill just fine. I remember the story in the local paper, and Hackman eating lunch and visiting a local senior’s facility and being quoted, “You’ve got a nice little town here.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>Yes, we did.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">My old office, at 208 S. LaSalle St., is located right in the LaSalle Street Canyon, a famous locale for viewers of period gangster movies like “Hoodlum” (1997), “The Road to Perdition” (2002) and “The Untouchables” (1987). With its vintage streetlights and facades that have not changed since the 1920s, only modern signage gives away the fact that it’s 2013 and not 1927. No wonder filmmakers love to shoot there. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RNxvJ4lWXqs/UqomlvJHesI/AAAAAAAACJQ/lyQCWuL9uAQ/s1600/ChicagoUntouchables.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RNxvJ4lWXqs/UqomlvJHesI/AAAAAAAACJQ/lyQCWuL9uAQ/s320/ChicagoUntouchables.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">There’s the famous shot in “The Untouchables” where Eliot Ness and Co. pull their first raid. They walk across La Salle St., accompanied by that swelling Ennio Morricone theme, stopping traffic and enter a post office which turns out to be bootleg operation. The door they walked through was for many years a Coach retail store in our building, but this 007 fan always thought it was great that Sean Connery filmed an iconic scene in a building I went to work in every day. OK, maybe not in the building, but I’ll settle for a door. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">A few years later we moved to an office on Wacker Drive, across the Chicago River and facing the Merchandise Mart. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I don’t care very much for Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. Still, it was pretty exciting when building management and a representative from Warner Bros. came to our office with a request. Apparently, “The Dark Knight” (2008) was going to be shooting a rooftop meeting scene on the building across the alley from us and the camera crew determined the 12th floor offices in our building were ideal to hang additional lighting for the scene. Would we give them permission to put lights in our offices facing the building across the alley? Of course we said yes. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It turned out fine. The lights were only in our offices two or three nights and all the equipment was off when we arrived for work in the morning. I forget how much they paid us – it was a nominal fee – but it wasn’t a hassle at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>A few days after the lights were removed, a rep from the movie came by and asked if everything was OK, if anything was damaged and did we have any complaints. We didn’t because everything was handled with the utmost professionalism. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I must confess to some disappointment on watching the scene and not being able to recognize our building in the background. I do think, however, that it’s probably the best lit scene in the movie. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HHd8P8HYZo0/UqomqD1x0hI/AAAAAAAACJY/GOjbgtYitFA/s1600/ChicagoWanted.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HHd8P8HYZo0/UqomqD1x0hI/AAAAAAAACJY/GOjbgtYitFA/s320/ChicagoWanted.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I positively loathed “Wanted” (2008), the Angelina Jolie assassination movie, but again our office building played a little role in it. At the time, there was an empty retail space on the ground floor and the film’s caterers used it to feed the cast and crew while they were filming the big chase scene along Wacker Drive. As I left the office each evening you could see what was being prepared and they had some real nice spreads laid out. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Talking to our building crew after they left, they all got to meet Angelina Jolie and they all said she could not have been nicer or more down to earth, with no airs or pretensions about her at all. That’s always nice to hear. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">A few days later I was talking in the elevator to a lawyer tenant who had been working late that evening and had his mind on an upcoming case. He said he almost had a heart attack when he walked out the front door just as various cars came screeching around the corner followed by a street-level helicopter. Our building sits by a curve and all the cameras were around the corner, so he didn’t ruin a shot. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Reading about all the movies filmed here, my vote for favorite Chicago movie still remains “Code of Silence” (1985) starring Chuck Norris, thanks to the incredible array of locations on display. Few movies highlight the breadth of the city so well. Director Andrew Davis is a native Chicagoan and knows its nooks and crannies better than anyone. He also makes the best use of the famous el trains I’ve ever seen, staging a terrific fight scene atop a moving el train as it works its through the Loop and over the Chicago River. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XZxEKJY3zfY/UqomJw-FRFI/AAAAAAAACIo/eqFsCB1jPOc/s1600/ChicagoCodeofsSilence.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XZxEKJY3zfY/UqomJw-FRFI/AAAAAAAACIo/eqFsCB1jPOc/s320/ChicagoCodeofsSilence.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">While the book is probably of most interest to those Chicagoans who recognize the places and neighborhoods mentioned in the book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hollywood</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">on Lake Michigan</i> offers a useful guide to Chicago’s famous film locations. Visitors looking to take a movie tour of Chicago should use the book as a most entertaining guide. Use it as a guide and stay for the anecdotes. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>http://kevinsmoviecorner.blogspot.com/2013/12/book-review-hollywood-on-lake-michigan.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Deany)10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229.post-2969462398129247673Mon, 18 Nov 2013 15:00:00 +00002013-11-18T07:00:53.199-08:00Kay KendallQuentin DurwardRobert TaylorswashbucklersQuentin Durward<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument></xml><![endif]--><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><img src="//img2.blogblog.com/img/video_object.png" style="background-color: #b2b2b2; " class="BLOGGER-object-element tr_noresize tr_placeholder" id="ieooui" data-original-id="ieooui" /><style>st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style><![endif]--><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1n597oeA8cg/UoU3suQmqHI/AAAAAAAACHw/OdcRtvpdoR8/s1600/QDLobby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1n597oeA8cg/UoU3suQmqHI/AAAAAAAACHw/OdcRtvpdoR8/s320/QDLobby.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">M-G-M’s swashbuckling adventure film “Quentin Durward” is one of those films that plays much better now than when it was first released in 1955. At the time it was perceived as just another swashbuckler in a year glutted with costume adventure films. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">But viewed today, it seems to me a witty and knowing take on the adventure film genre. Its makers appear to realize that the heyday of movies about noble heroes and daring deeds was coming to an end. “Quentin Durward” plays like a swashbuckling riff on old age, the end of chivalry and aging heroes, much as movies like “Ride the High Country” (1962) and “The Wild Bunch” (1969) foretold the eventual demise of the western, with its heroes out of time and place in a new mechanical age. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I’ve never read the original novel by Sir Walter Scott, published in 1823, so I don’t know if the novel also discusses the end of chivalry and the notion of heroism as an anachronism. But the movie version is rife with such allusions. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The story opens proper with this title card: </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">“Our story begins in Scotland in 1465 – when Knighthood was a drooping blossom – but the Scot, as usual, was poor in naught but cash.” </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Right there we realize we’re not in for a traditional adventure film. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aNrLzBNmCUY/UoU4IPhPOYI/AAAAAAAACIY/NRUm7t9TGEU/s1600/QDuncle.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aNrLzBNmCUY/UoU4IPhPOYI/AAAAAAAACIY/NRUm7t9TGEU/s320/QDuncle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Quentin Durward (Robert Taylor) is a Scottish knight sent to France by his elderly uncle to ascertain the worth of the Countess Isabelle (Kay Kendall), who, being “the richest and most beautiful woman in Europe”, has no shortage of suitors. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Upon arriving in France, and always in need of a loan from the Scottish ambassador to France, Durward <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>becomes involved in all sorts of court intrigue, tied to King Louis XI (Robert Morley, a wonderful performance), and the machinations of Count William De le Mack (Duncan Lamont).</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WCsajlKq3U4/UoU4EKBixII/AAAAAAAACIQ/KHNh1BtjKhM/s1600/QDTrio.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WCsajlKq3U4/UoU4EKBixII/AAAAAAAACIQ/KHNh1BtjKhM/s320/QDTrio.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Durward and Isabelle fall in love with each other, but Durward, bound to oath to his uncle, won’t act on the love. At one point, he refers to himself as obsolete and suggests that the way he was raised – to be proud, praise God, defend the weak, be loyal to his family and always true to his word – are values no longer celebrated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">De le Mack makes several attempts to kidnap Isabelle, embarrass the King and steal the kingdom. Durward fights the Count every step of the way, culminating in one of the most inventively staged action scenes in any swashbuckler, with Durward and the Count swinging on ropes and slashing at each other in a burning bell tower. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DIPGM34_5LA/UoU3zxKH3_I/AAAAAAAACH4/3d2RckeHX68/s1600/QDLobbyFight.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DIPGM34_5LA/UoU3zxKH3_I/AAAAAAAACH4/3d2RckeHX68/s320/QDLobbyFight.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">M-G-M, star Robert Taylor and director Richard Thorpe boasted a real winner in their first swashbuckling adventure film, “Ivanhoe” (1952), also based on a novel by Sir Walter Scott. “Ivanhoe” was one of the rare swashbucklers to earn a Best Picture nomination, and where “Ivanhoe” takes matters very seriously, “Quentin Durward” is much lighter on its feet. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In addition to the casting of Robert Taylor in the title role, other factors make one think M-G-M was deliberately aping “Ivanhoe” in hopes of another success. . </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">“Ivanhoe” concludes with a terrific axe and mace combat scene between Taylor and George Sanders. Though composer Miklos Rozsa provided one of his best scores to “Ivanhoe” he kept this scene unscored, save for the steady tattoo of nearby drummers, who never vary their rhythm as two men try to kill each other in front of them. It's very effective. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In “Quentin Durward”, the fight in the burning bell tower is also left unscored by composer Bronisalu Kaper. He no doubt felt the ringing of the bells, the fires and the falling timbers were enough of a soundtrack and didn’t need any musical embellishment. (The other great M-G-M swashbuckler of the 1950s, “Scaramouche” (1952), has its famous five-minute-plus dueling scene unscored as well. People who think older movies were always over scored would do well to watch these scenes.) </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EP9IvSb0N6Q/UoU3nWnErZI/AAAAAAAACHo/mqgyr20MAOs/s1600/QDKendallTaylor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EP9IvSb0N6Q/UoU3nWnErZI/AAAAAAAACHo/mqgyr20MAOs/s320/QDKendallTaylor.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">To take advantage of post-war tax laws, with host counties insisting movie companies shoot on location to free up collected monies, “Ivanhoe” and “Quentin Durward” were filmed on location, “Ivanhoe” in England and “Quentin Durward” in England and France. No studio back lots here, and “Quentin Durward” includes plenty of stunning visuals shot on location at Bodian Castle in England; Chateau de Chamford, Chateau de Chenoceaux and Chateau de Maitenon, all in France. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">To compete with television, the new rage of Cinemascope and other wide-screen processes had the studios turning out scads of adventure and costume epics. By the mid-1950s, audiences had been swamped by swashbuckling spectacles, much like today with the seemingly endless comic book and science fiction movies in a typical summer (and often beyond) movie season.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Moviegoers in 1955 alone saw “Moonfleet” (Stewart Granger), “The Purple Mask” (Tony Curtis), “The King’s Thief” (Edmund Purdom) and “The Warriors” (Errol Flynn).</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The preceding year saw Robert Taylor don armor again in the Arthurian “Knights of the Round Table”, along with “Prince Valiant” (Robert Wagner), ”The Black Knight” (Alan Ladd) and “The Black Shield of Falworth” (Tony Curtis again). </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">No wonder Danny Kaye saw fit to spoof the genre with his wonderful “The Court Jester” (1956). He certainly had plenty of material to work with. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">When “Quentin Durward” was released in 1955, the reviews were indifferent, to say the least. The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">New York Times</i> said, “It is difficult to take this picture as anything but a massive masquerade.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8mITJo8pS3k/UoU3jOoYbKI/AAAAAAAACHg/HSzbKjva9Io/s1600/QDEmbrace.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8mITJo8pS3k/UoU3jOoYbKI/AAAAAAAACHg/HSzbKjva9Io/s320/QDEmbrace.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I can see where audiences by 1955 were tired of the genre and unknowingly overlooked “Quentin Durward” and its self-referential qualities. But there’s a gentle grace to “Quentin Durward”, a movie wise about itself, and seems to be aware that, in a decade of Brando and Dean, tales of chivalrous knights saving damsels in distress would be seen as corny and horribly out-of-date. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Kay Kendall makes a marvelous Isabelle, annoyed by all the attentions of unwanted suitors. She takes to Durward, saying he’s the first man she’s seen at the palace who isn’t a thousand years old. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The Countess Isabelle was originally offered to Grace Kelly, who turned it down, saying: “All the man can duel and fight, but all I’d do would be to wear 35 different costumes, look pretty and frightened….the stage directions on every page of the script say ‘She clutches her jewel box and flees.’ I just thought I’d be bored.” </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lzb2gw1_szY/UoU36EtBGYI/AAAAAAAACIA/ftFYpN5tgYY/s1600/QDTaylor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lzb2gw1_szY/UoU36EtBGYI/AAAAAAAACIA/ftFYpN5tgYY/s320/QDTaylor.jpg" width="239" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Robert Taylor didn’t like making swashbucklers – he called them “iron jockstrap” roles. He much preferred making westerns. But he makes a fine, chivalrous hero and wears costumes like he was born in them. As Tony Thomas wrote in his book, :The Great Adventure Films (Citadel Press, 1976) about the swashbuckling Taylor, “…in all of them, Taylor performed with dignity and with a really credible heroic bearing – his deep American voice lessening the medieval image just a little.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Seen today away from its 1955 competition, “Quentin Durward” surprises and amuses with its wit and candor about growing old and being born “perhaps a few minutes too late”, as Durward ruefully observes (rare for a swashbuckling hero to show such self-reflection). </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">But thanks to its on-location shooting, Kaper’s lovely music score, exciting action scenes, and witty screenplay, “Quentin Durward” is one of the most durable and winning entries in the swashbuckling sweepstakes. I was very pleased to re-acquaint myself with it.&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nZ1gQhMJqkE/UoU3_utuyNI/AAAAAAAACII/JQkPgEQHsOQ/s1600/QDTitle.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nZ1gQhMJqkE/UoU3_utuyNI/AAAAAAAACII/JQkPgEQHsOQ/s320/QDTitle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>http://kevinsmoviecorner.blogspot.com/2013/11/quentin-durward.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Deany)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229.post-5142291350101337531Thu, 24 Oct 2013 14:10:00 +00002013-10-24T07:11:16.794-07:00David ProwseFrankenstein and the Monster from HellHammer FilmsPeter CushingTerence FisherHammer Horror Blogathon: Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S4pm_lLFia0/UmgfturlqmI/AAAAAAAACHM/wuwFfWS4TSk/s1600/Hammer+Halloween+Blogathon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_zHSr8ZQpwk/Umgecs9DKjI/AAAAAAAACGU/51dvo2fs89w/s1600/FrankHellGraveyard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vswhD3DFoiQ/UmgehytwstI/AAAAAAAACGc/YN3fCjrpUnU/s1600/FrankHellMadeline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9ZxyrJD1ryg/UmgemnuwzOI/AAAAAAAACGk/pBh9S5j0jBw/s1600/FrankHellMonster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vk2GimcsXtA/UmgerBsrXJI/AAAAAAAACGs/agvSCxCc6qc/s1600/FrankHellOpeation2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UdDyHTKNZLU/UmgevSDJEdI/AAAAAAAACG0/Bd20V-FVyfg/s1600/FrankHellPoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UdDyHTKNZLU/UmgevSDJEdI/AAAAAAAACG0/Bd20V-FVyfg/s320/FrankHellPoster.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ii3qIlyHEoU/Umge2DO3c5I/AAAAAAAACG8/MDRMhNPtgOM/s1600/FrankMonsterOperation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tWOcpebWfXI/UmgfBRXW9MI/AAAAAAAACHE/koOR3A5E9vc/s1600/FrankHellSimonBaron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><img src="//img2.blogblog.com/img/video_object.png" style="background-color: #b2b2b2; " class="BLOGGER-object-element tr_noresize tr_placeholder" id="ieooui" data-original-id="ieooui" /><style>st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style><![endif]--> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PYfxtBPAku0/UmgeW4F_xRI/AAAAAAAACGM/PCQP1yRIe3c/s1600/FrankHellCushing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“In my early teens, I went with groups of friends to go and see certain films. If we saw the logo of Hammer films we knew it was going to be a very special picture…a surprising experience, usually – and shocking.”</i> - Martin Scorsese. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">For me, the Hammer Frankenstein series is one of Hammer’s finest overall achievements. If its Dracula series degenerated into silliness (as enjoyable as some of the later entries were), its Frankenstein movies remained first-rate all the way through. I think the entries got stronger as the series went on, and how many movie series can say that?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Whereas the Universal Frankenstein had the monster as the connective tissue, the Hammer Frankenstein’s focused on the Baron himself and his attempts to create life. There is a mood of ineffable sadness to these films.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Countless lives are ruined as the Baron continues on his quest; he doesn’t care who he hurts to achieve his goals – the ends justify the means. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">“Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell” (1973) was a last Hammer hurrah on several fronts: their seventh and last Frankenstein film; after six films, the last time Peter Cushing portrayed Baron Victor Frankenstein; the last Hammer film directed by Terence Fisher; the final screenplay by John Elder (pen name for producer Anthony Hinds). </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">“Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell” may not be the best in the series, but it’s a most effective Gothic chiller. It has the brilliant idea to put Baron Frankenstein where he belongs after a lifetime of attempting to re-animate corpses – in an asylum. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Still as lucid and cool as ever, Baron Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) may be an inmate but he’s practically running the place, thanks to his blackmailing of the asylum’s director (John Stratton), who likes to take liberties with the more comely of his female patients. Said director looks the other way as the Baron, doubling as the asylum’s doctor, dispenses medicine during the day but uses the asylum’s recently deceased to continue his experiments at night. In a nod to Burke and Hare, the Baron is not above killing an inmate or two to satisfy his need for fresh corpses. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tWOcpebWfXI/UmgfBRXW9MI/AAAAAAAACHE/koOR3A5E9vc/s1600/FrankHellSimonBaron.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tWOcpebWfXI/UmgfBRXW9MI/AAAAAAAACHE/koOR3A5E9vc/s320/FrankHellSimonBaron.jpg" width="320" /></a> <br /><br />When young doctor Simon Helder (Shane Briant) is sentenced to the asylum for experiments similar to Frankenstein’s, the Baron coaxes him to be his assistant in the surgery. Because the Baron’s hands were horribly burned at the end of the series’ previous, and best entry, “Frankenstein Must be Destroyed” (1969), Frankenstein guides Simon’s hands to put the brain of an insane violinist into the body of a hideous monster (Darth Vader himself, David Prowse).</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">(Cushing played the Baron six times. In 1970, Hammer re-booted the series with a younger Baron, Ralph Bates, in the ill-advised “Horror of Frankenstein.” It was dismal failure and the re-booting ended with that one film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Even though it came between Destroyed and Monster from Hell, I don’t consider it part of the series). </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The monster, now graced with intelligence, is only the latest in a series of failed experiments for the Baron, who only sees he has created life, but not the hideous monster he has created. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Prowse delivers a very good performance as the creature repulsed by his own hideousness, yet flooded with memories of his former life, love of music and yearning towards the beautiful mute girl Sarah (future Bond girl Madeline Smith), who aids the doctors. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vswhD3DFoiQ/UmgehytwstI/AAAAAAAACGc/YN3fCjrpUnU/s1600/FrankHellMadeline.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vswhD3DFoiQ/UmgehytwstI/AAAAAAAACGc/YN3fCjrpUnU/s320/FrankHellMadeline.jpg" width="320" /></a> <br /><br />It is a performance for which Prowse is justly proud. “Terry (Fisher) was a wonderful person to work with – sort of the doyen of the horror film. He was really a wonderful guy and gave me a lot of help and direction – unlike many who give you nothing at all except to have you just get on with it. The film probably gave me more satisfaction than any other I’ve done – including “Star Wars” (1977).”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">If the Baron possesses a trace of humanity in him in the first film “The Curse of Frankenstein” (1957), his insatiable thirst for creating life is all-encompassing by the last film. Even when the monster is destroyed at the end, he is ready to start all over again, giving no more thought to his creations than we have on swatting a fly. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">But there would be no more sequels, thanks to diminishing box office returns. Critical response to “Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell” was mixed, but after six films there was really no place else for the Baron to go, and if the taste for Gothic horror had dissipated over the years, it was pretty much decimated by the release that year of “The Exorcist.” </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Still, there’s some potent imagery here. In addition to the dank asylum setting, the scene of the monster digging up graves in the asylum graveyard using a crucifix during a raging thunderstorm is a splendid piece of Gothic excess. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_zHSr8ZQpwk/Umgecs9DKjI/AAAAAAAACGU/51dvo2fs89w/s1600/FrankHellGraveyard.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_zHSr8ZQpwk/Umgecs9DKjI/AAAAAAAACGU/51dvo2fs89w/s320/FrankHellGraveyard.jpg" width="320" /></a> <br /><br />Speaking of excess, the surgery and brain transplanting scenes are pretty graphic, and helped garner the movie an R rating. The griminess of the asylum setting makes the scenes even more uncomfortable. Still, director Fisher is smart enough to cut away from the most gruesome parts.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vk2GimcsXtA/UmgerBsrXJI/AAAAAAAACGs/agvSCxCc6qc/s1600/FrankHellOpeation2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vk2GimcsXtA/UmgerBsrXJI/AAAAAAAACGs/agvSCxCc6qc/s320/FrankHellOpeation2.jpg" width="320" /></a> <br /><br />Cushing was 60 years old when he made his last appearance as the Baron, but he still jumps on tables with the aplomb of Van Helsing in “Horror of Dracula” (1958). It’s obviously no stunt double as Cushing leaps onto a table and then onto the monster, knocking him out with a handkerchief full of chloroform before they both fall to the ground. Prowse remember it well: “When we were finished, everyone on the set just stood up and applauded. It was the first time I’d even seen anything like that! It was just great!”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9ZxyrJD1ryg/UmgemnuwzOI/AAAAAAAACGk/pBh9S5j0jBw/s1600/FrankHellMonster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9ZxyrJD1ryg/UmgemnuwzOI/AAAAAAAACGk/pBh9S5j0jBw/s320/FrankHellMonster.jpg" width="320" /></a> <br /><br />The Monster from Hell exhibits probably the most extreme make-up of a creature in the Hammer Frankenstein’s, a design that was pre-sold on advertising materials and forced on director Fisher. “I disagreed with them from the start and tried my best to limit the makeup,” Fisher later said. “However, they had sold Paramount on the idea that the monster would be this grotesque hairy beast, so I could not make him human, but I reduced him as far as I could without ruining what they had sold it on.” </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The film rarely strays beyond its asylum setting, a strong metaphor for the Baron’s state of mind by this time. Cushing’s Baron Frankenstein may be his powerful characterization. While his Van Helsing is one of the great vampire terminators of all time, that role doesn’t give him the depth the Baron offers. The final film is a suitable coda to a series showing an impassioned medical doctor vainly trying to create life in the laboratory, but degenerating over the course of six films into a heartless doctor whose humanity, ironically, has been crushed by the need to create yet another life form. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PYfxtBPAku0/UmgeW4F_xRI/AAAAAAAACGM/PCQP1yRIe3c/s1600/FrankHellCushing.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PYfxtBPAku0/UmgeW4F_xRI/AAAAAAAACGM/PCQP1yRIe3c/s320/FrankHellCushing.jpg" width="320" /></a> <br /><br />Peter Cushing’s Baron Frankenstein is a remarkable characterization in a fascinating series of films, a series that holds up remarkably well today. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">All quotations taken from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hammer Films, An Exhaustive Filmography</i> by Tom Johnson and Deborah Del Vecchio, (McFarland &amp; Company, Inc., Publishers, 1996.):</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It’s Hammer Time! For many of us, Halloween is not complete without a dose of Hammer Horror. This post is happily part of the Hammer Halloween Blogathon hosted by the Classic Film &amp;; TV Cafe. Go here for the complete Blogathon schedule for lots of bloodthirsty reading:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.classicfilmtvcafe.com/2013/09/coming-this-october-hammer-halloween.html" title="blocked::http://www.classicfilmtvcafe.com/2013/09/coming-this-october-hammer-halloween.html">http://www.classicfilmtvcafe.com/2013/09/coming-this-october-hammer-halloween.html</a>.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S4pm_lLFia0/UmgfturlqmI/AAAAAAAACHM/wuwFfWS4TSk/s1600/Hammer+Halloween+Blogathon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S4pm_lLFia0/UmgfturlqmI/AAAAAAAACHM/wuwFfWS4TSk/s1600/Hammer+Halloween+Blogathon.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>http://kevinsmoviecorner.blogspot.com/2013/10/hammer-horror-blogathon-frankenstein.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Deany)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229.post-4771901729100708729Wed, 18 Sep 2013 14:05:00 +00002013-09-18T14:15:34.801-07:00Bette DavisClaude Rainsconcertos in moviesDeceptionErich Wolfgang KorngoldPaul HenreidDeception (1946)<br />&nbsp;<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yutPiWLBU70/Ujc1-r8rpYI/AAAAAAAACFI/kZTBaNIvkhs/s1600/DeceptionPoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yutPiWLBU70/Ujc1-r8rpYI/AAAAAAAACFI/kZTBaNIvkhs/s320/DeceptionPoster.jpg" width="225" /></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SPUH9PpBG_c/Ujc2fIphtGI/AAAAAAAACFw/I1Siq605Cps/s1600/KorngoldPiano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">Alexander Hollenius, the vain, selfish, childish, sardonic and very witty composer genius in “Deception” (1946) is probably my favorite Claude Rains characterization ever. That’s saying, a lot, I know, with a character roster that includes such favorites as The Invisible Man, Prince John, Senator Joseph Paine, Mr. Jordan, Capt. Louis Renault and Job Skeffington to choose from.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">But Rains owns “Deception” from his first entrance, framed in a doorway wearing a cape and looking like the King of the Universe. Which he is, and stays that way for the next two hours. Every scene he is in is pure joy, and even when not on screen, his character dominates the film. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Pretty much a three-character drama, “Deception” showcases Rains as composer Alexander Hollenius, who is working on his newest composition, a cello concerto. Former mistress Christine Radcliffe (Bette Davis) surprises him when she reunites and quickly marries Karel Novak (Paul Henreid), a brilliant cellist whose promising career and love affair with Christine had been cut short by the war.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Yteo-aGid9Y/Ujc1mLKX6kI/AAAAAAAACEg/fEzrPHnmLuo/s1600/deception-atmosphere.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Yteo-aGid9Y/Ujc1mLKX6kI/AAAAAAAACEg/fEzrPHnmLuo/s320/deception-atmosphere.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kfl_3tifSbM/Ujc1vp_zC1I/AAAAAAAACEw/OnW3WoRv_Hc/s1600/DeceptionHenriedDavis.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">She asks Hollenius to have Karel premiere his new work, while begging Hollenius not to reveal their past relationship. He agrees to have Karel play his new concerto but is not above playing mind games with both Christine and Karel during the rehearsal process, intent on destroying Karel’s confidence in himself and his former mistresses’ relationship with her new husband.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6uCh9kmTKX0/Ujc2T-lw-GI/AAAAAAAACFo/4wN4M_yri5o/s1600/DeceptionRainsSitting.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6uCh9kmTKX0/Ujc2T-lw-GI/AAAAAAAACFo/4wN4M_yri5o/s320/DeceptionRainsSitting.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">“Deception” was based on a two-character play titled “Monsieur Lamberthier” written by Louis Verneuil. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>The Hollenius character (I believe the play had different names) is not a character in the play, just discussed by the other two characters. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>The “Deception” screenplay was co-written by Joseph Than and acclaimed novelist John Collier. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The play was made into a movie (currently lost, alas) titled “Jealousy” in 1929 with Fredric March and Jeanne Eagels. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Bette Davis was a huge fan of Jeanne Eagels and was thrilled when Warner Bros. offered her the role. She initially bristled at turning the story into a three-character drama but relented when her “gorgeous” Claude Rains was cast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Great Claude Rains</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Who could blame her? Archer Winsten in his review in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">New York Post </i>wrote, “Claude Rains, it must be admitted, goes to town with his characterization of the high-living composer and genius. If you wish to call his flamboyant measures hammy, you must add that they have quality, flavor and the so-called inner flame.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">One person’s ham is another person’s filet mignon. For me, Rains perfectly captures the egocentric energy of a musical maestro, one whose life is dominated by music and only music. When messy situations like relationships develops, he plays his audience of two like he’s conducting an orchestra, coaxing them to do exactly what he wants and them grudgingly going along with it. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vxcvZo5aDu8/Ujc2D36pX3I/AAAAAAAACFQ/oR-t9_YiA8o/s1600/deception-rains.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vxcvZo5aDu8/Ujc2D36pX3I/AAAAAAAACFQ/oR-t9_YiA8o/s320/deception-rains.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">My favorite Claude Rains scene ever is a marvelous dinner sequence running over five minutes. Hollenius knows that Karel’s nerves are paper-thin on the evening of the first rehearsal, but that doesn’t stop him from inviting Christine and Karel to dinner at his favorite restaurant where he painstakingly delivers a demonstration on ordering the proper meal. (I love the sniffing of the squabs). Christine and Karel become increasingly aggravated but Hollenius blithely carries on, totally oblivious to Karel’s growing impatience. At least we think he’s oblivious but for a quick cut to a very satisfied expression on his face when Karel and Christine start bickering at the table. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Supposedly Rains was so well prepared for his big scene that he delivered his performance in only one take, and when it was over the entire crew burst into applause, Davis gave him a hug and Henreid and director Irving Rapper gave him long and hearty congratulatory hand shakes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Irving Rapper was a former dialogue director for Warner Bros. before graduating to the director’s chair. He, along with Bette Davis, Paul Henreid and Claude Rains had scored a huge hit with “Now, Voyager” (1942) so having Rapper as director seemed the right thing to do. But the choice was even more obvious. For a film so reliant on dialogue, both overt and leading, Rapper was an ideal choice. It’s one of his best films. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WIb44NZOrnM/Ujc2QLJJCEI/AAAAAAAACFg/bmJ2GzD-vjQ/s1600/DeceptionRainsDavis.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WIb44NZOrnM/Ujc2QLJJCEI/AAAAAAAACFg/bmJ2GzD-vjQ/s320/DeceptionRainsDavis.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">“Deception” was one of the last films under Rains’ long-term contract with Warner Bros., but it was one of his most satisfying assignments from the studio. John T. Soister, in his book “Claude Rains: A Comprehensive Illustrated Reference” (McFarland &amp; Company, Inc., 1999), writes: “The pictures has weathered the years well, primarily because it is so much larger than life that it defies being pigeon-holed into any one time frame.” </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Korngold Factor</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">For film music fans, the film is must viewing. It was the last original film score by the great Erich Wolfgang Korngold, and because the film is set in the world of classical music, Korngold was an active participant in the film’s production. But when production wrapped, and his Warner Bros. contract was up, he elected to focus on his concert music, despite entreaties over the years to return to the film studios. He only did it once, to adapt Wagner’s music for the Wagner bio pic “Magic Fire” (1954), produced at, of all places, Republic Studios.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SPUH9PpBG_c/Ujc2fIphtGI/AAAAAAAACFw/I1Siq605Cps/s1600/KorngoldPiano.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SPUH9PpBG_c/Ujc2fIphtGI/AAAAAAAACFw/I1Siq605Cps/s320/KorngoldPiano.jpg" width="208" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">Errol Flynn obviously knew the great impact Korngold had on his classic swashbucklers and tried to coax Korngold out of retirement to score his aborted William Tell movie in the 1950s, but Korngold turned him down. He would devote the rest of his life to his concert music, before his untimely death in 1957. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Brendan G. Carroll, in his invaluable Korngold biography titled “The Last Prodigy” (Amadeus Press, 1997), says Korngold’s finger prints are all over the film, and not just limited to the film’s score: “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Deception,</i> however, was a film apart. It has been described as one of the few films about classical music that makes sense. When the characters talk about music, they speak knowledgeably. The dialogue is clearly influenced by Korngold in several key scenes. Near the opening, a student asks Henreid which composers he most admires. Henreid replies: ‘Richard Strauss when I think of the past, Stravinsky when I think of the present – and of course, Hollenius, who combines the rhythm of today with the melody of yesterday.’ (For Hollenius – read Korngold perhaps?) When Davis expresses surprise that Rains has turned off the radio (Beethoven is being performed), he looks at her, with his famous querulous eyebrow, and says: ‘Compose a piece yourself, my dear, and then try listening to Beethoven.’ Contrast this with some of the lines in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Humoresque</i>: ‘Martinis are an acquired taste – like Ravel’ or worse still, ‘Bad manners – the infallible sign of genius.’ <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Deception</i> was at least musically credible.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7nuC9OceDxw/Ujc2KPbDFpI/AAAAAAAACFY/2AxemP47haI/s1600/DeceptionRainsConduct.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7nuC9OceDxw/Ujc2KPbDFpI/AAAAAAAACFY/2AxemP47haI/s1600/DeceptionRainsConduct.jpg" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In addition to overseeing the musically literate dialogue, Korngold coached Rains in conducting and dubbed Rains when he played the piano. Korngold also taught Davis how to play the opening page of Beethoven’s Appassionata sonata. (Davis was dubbed by a young Shura Cherkassky). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>Korngold also supervised the scenes showing the orchestra rehearsals.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">(What I’m dying to know but can’t find anywhere is if the orchestra seen on screen in the rehearsal and concert scenes was the actual Warner Bros. orchestra? I’m assuming yes, but don’t know for sure.) </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Henreid’s cello playing was dubbed by Eleanor Slatkin, mother of noted conductor Leonard Slatkin, and husband of Felix, who was concert master across town at Alfred Newman’s 20<sup>th</sup> Century Fox’s orchestra.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">(Eleanor can be easily glimpsed in the Hollywood spoof “It’s A Great Feeling” (1949), which is set on the Warner Bros. lot. A scene filmed of Doris Day singing at the Warner Bros. recording studios is followed by a dismissal of the orchestra by music director Ray Heindorf. The lady seen toting her cello is Eleanor Slatkin). </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Bette Davis was in awe of Korngold, according to Carroll: “Although I knew Max (Steiner) more, Erich was a genius, and everyone at Warners was aware of it. The music department at Warners was the absolute best in those day and the work he did on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Deception</i> was actually better than the film itself, in my opinion….For his contribution, and my gorgeous Claude Rains as the composer, the film was worthwhile.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In real life the gentle Korngold was the complete opposite of the imperious Hollenius. Reading about him, one gets the impression he enjoyed being around people and was thrilled when his music connected to an audience. If a cab driver or a laborer at Warners told him how much he liked his music, Korngold would be delighted and likely invite the person for coffee and Viennese pastries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Childlike in some ways, he was a devoted family man and loyal to his friends. If Warners had decided to make a movie about his life, I could see someone like Herman Bing or S.Z. Sakall (a close friend of the Korngolds) playing him. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">My favorite Korngold anecdote involves him during the production of “The Green Pastures” (1936) which he composed (uncredited) some music for. The film showcases the Old Testament through an African-American perspective, with a cast headed by Rex Ingram as “De Lawd.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Korngold loved working on the project, marveling at the musical excellence of the Hall Johnson Choir. One day at the Warners commissary Korngold wanted to know where the film’s company was, as he wanted to eat with them. Someone told Korngold that the blacks had a separate eating area, and were not allowed inside the commissary. Korngold thought for a moment, picked up his tray and said, “I’m going to go eat with De Lawd.”&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ENQQHVJ6zoM/Ujc10XgCsbI/AAAAAAAACE4/aNxwlTIlIiE/s1600/DeceptionKorngold.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ENQQHVJ6zoM/Ujc10XgCsbI/AAAAAAAACE4/aNxwlTIlIiE/s320/DeceptionKorngold.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Movies and Their Concertos</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In the 1940s, audiences saw biographies (or, let’s be generous, highly romanticized dramas) of Franz Schubert, George Gershwin, Frederic Chopin, Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, Nicolo Paganini and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I’m fascinated by these 1940s films that are focused on composers and/or feature original concertos written for their films as part of the storyline. I’m surmising here, but I wonder if World War II had anything to do with it, and the hope for a better, more cultured and civilized world once the war and its effects had dissipated. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Producers discovered there was gold in them thar concerto hills, and 1940s dramas are rife with newly commissioned concertos. Composer Richard Addensell had scored a massive hit with his “Warsaw Concerto”, written for the film “Dangerous Moonlight” (1941). The short one movement piano concerto, which played an important role in the film, fit on both sides of a 78 rpm, a recording which sold in the millions.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zcrbcZP73Qg/Ujc4sOIjkPI/AAAAAAAACF8/06yCq1TAAwQ/s1600/DeceptionWarsaw.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zcrbcZP73Qg/Ujc4sOIjkPI/AAAAAAAACF8/06yCq1TAAwQ/s1600/DeceptionWarsaw.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">Other studios naturally wanted in. English composer Hubert Bath penned a very popular concerto, the “Cornish Rhapsody” for “Love Story” (1944), where fatally ill concert pianist (Margaret Lockwood) falls in love with a former RAF pilot going blind (Stewart Granger).</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Back in the states, Bernard Herrmann composed his devilish “Concerto Macabre” for “Hangover Square” (1945) performed at the end as mentally ill pianist Laird Cregar goes insane as his plays his concerto in a frenzied state. It’s a bravura sequence beautifully filmed by director John Brahm. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Composer Leo Shuken wrote a trumpet concerto for Melvyn Douglas to perform in “Our Wife.” </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The underrated Leith Stevens composed a very satisfying piano concerto for the soap opera (in the best sense) “Night Song” (1947). </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Claude Rains proved no stranger to on-screen concertos in his “Phantom of the Opera” (1943) where his piano concerto (music by Edward Ward) is auditioned with great satisfaction to no less than Franz Liszt (Fritz Leiber). </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">There was also a mini cottage industry at the time where film composers took their dramatic scores and adapted them into the concerto format. Franz Waxman adapted his music from the Jack Benny comedy “The Horn Blows at Midnight” (1945) into a concert piece titled “Athaneal the Trumpeter Overture for Trumpet and Orchestra”. Waxman also adapted his underscore for Hitchcock’s “The Paradine Case” (1947) into a “Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra”. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">RKO staff composer Roy Webb adapted his delicate music for “The Enchanted Cottage” (1945) into a piano concerto, which was performed at the Hollywood Bowl. The most famous was likely Miklos Rozsa’s “Spellbound Concerto” adapted from his Academy-Award winning score for Hitchcock’s “Spellbound” (1945). </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The “Deception” Cello Concerto</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">But the Korngold Cello Concerto is one of the most impressive of these concertos written expressly for their film. Only running about six minutes on-screen (and staged by choreographer LeRoy Prinz with little of the verve of a John Brahm, though not bad by any means), it was later expanded to 11 minutes by Korngold as a one-movement concert work, the Cello Concerto in C Major, Opus 27. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Biographer Carroll again: “Most concertos run about 30 minutes and have three movements. I believe that Korngold could not extend the work further because he had already condensed enough material for three movements into one, and found it impossible to improve on his original. Even at 11 minutes, it is a very satisfying piece. Clearly, he decided to leave well enough alone.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JC1RfkZkEuI/Ujc1rk2RwBI/AAAAAAAACEo/sYt7uqdnsXg/s1600/DeceptionHenreidCello.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JC1RfkZkEuI/Ujc1rk2RwBI/AAAAAAAACEo/sYt7uqdnsXg/s320/DeceptionHenreidCello.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zcrbcZP73Qg/Ujc4sOIjkPI/AAAAAAAACF8/06yCq1TAAwQ/s1600/DeceptionWarsaw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>Carroll also explains how the concerto was filmed, using the same way John Garfield fingered the violin so realistically in “Humoresque” (1946): “Henreid wore a special jacket in which holes were cut in both shoulders (for the arms of others to reach through). Two cellists stood behind him out of range, helped by the acute angle of the camera, with their arms and hands visible to the camera: Henreid’s were tied behind his back under the jacket. The two cellists bowed and fingered the piece to a playback of the music on loudspeakers, accurately matching what is heard, watched carefully by Korngold.”<br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Henreid was always amused that for years afterwards, professional musicians would come up to him at parties and complement him on his superb fingering and playing in “Deception.” </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Finally, “Deception” gave the world one of the great quotable reviews, courtesy Cecelia Ager in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PM Magazine</i>: “It’s like grand opera – only the people are thinner… I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">For the great Korngold concerto, rich dialogue, over the top characters and one of Claude Rains’ greatest performances, “Deception” is well worth viewing. </div>http://kevinsmoviecorner.blogspot.com/2013/09/deception-1946.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Deany)17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229.post-1316990861211566465Mon, 26 Aug 2013 14:42:00 +00002013-08-26T07:49:01.359-07:00Burt LancasterJacques TourneurMax SteinerRobert DouglasThe Flame and the ArrowVirginia MayoThe Flame and the Arrow <br />&nbsp;<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Vt5vo9ZYJyQ/UheuLcPC8SI/AAAAAAAACDo/XRAB1diPcPM/s1600/FlameandArrowPoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Vt5vo9ZYJyQ/UheuLcPC8SI/AAAAAAAACDo/XRAB1diPcPM/s320/FlameandArrowPoster.jpg" width="209" /></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hlWZzyc35q8/UheuRTPWp0I/AAAAAAAACDw/mblnqX5asTc/s1600/FlameandArrowAcrobatBurt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vlQ_l2crEIw/Uhew0YeUe1I/AAAAAAAACEQ/6eruLmozpWc/s1600/flame-and-the-arrow-trailer-title.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">For me, a show like “The Flame and the Arrow” (1950) represents what movies are all about - the romance of the movies, so to speak. Beautifully filmed in Technicolor, “The Flame and the Arrow” is pure entertainment without a trace of realism to be found anywhere. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Surely, medieval Italy was never populated by such All American types as Burt Lancaster and Virginia Mayo, who don’t even attempt anything resembling an Italian accent. I’m also fairly certain that 16<sup>th</sup> century Italy never looked so well-scrubbed. All backed by a wonderful Max Steiner score, one of his best, with those strumming mandolins playing a lilting melody in the opening credits letting us know that we’re in for a rollicking good time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Leading lady Virginia Mayo wears a couple of outfits that look more Beverly Hills than medieval Italy. There’s a most fetching female Robin Hood-type garb she sports in a scene or two, and a scene where she washes her legs in a stream in a shorts outfit could be the greatest bit of cheesecake ever seen in a swashbuckler. (Admittedly, there are few such scenes in the genre).</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yUqiwQz7iFo/Uhetz3l7cKI/AAAAAAAACDI/8ETQ7WKtpCk/s1600/FlameandArrowCheesecake.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yUqiwQz7iFo/Uhetz3l7cKI/AAAAAAAACDI/8ETQ7WKtpCk/s320/FlameandArrowCheesecake.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">Dardo (Burt Lancaster), sort of an Italian Robin Hood, tries to rescue his village from the conquering Hessian oppressors, led by Count Ulrich (Frank Allenby), nicknamed The Hawk by the villagers for his heavy-handed rule. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Years ago, Dardo’s wife Francesca (Lynn Baggett) left Dardo and their young son Rudi (Gordon Gebert, about as Italian as Sabu) for a life of comfort and ease as Ulrich’s mistress. So Dardo has another reason to seek vengeance against Ulrich. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">With his best friend, the mute Piccolo (Nick Cravat), Dardo embarks in thwarting Ulrich however possible, after which Dardo and his band retreat to some Roman ruins in the countryside to plan their next course of action. . </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In a nod to Maid Marian of the Robin Hood legends, the Lady Anne (Virginia Mayo) is a noble woman who switches allegiances when she sees how cruel the Hessians are against the villagers and falls in love with the dashing Dardo. This is even after Dardo has captured her to trade for his son, who Count Ulrich has kidnapped and brought to his castle to train him as a nobleman. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F_w13fUEBes/UheuCxANaTI/AAAAAAAACDY/JiyuzVM0AL4/s1600/FlameandArrowDouglasMayo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F_w13fUEBes/UheuCxANaTI/AAAAAAAACDY/JiyuzVM0AL4/s320/FlameandArrowDouglasMayo.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Dardo arranges to raid the castle to rescue him. Disguised as circus entertainers, Dardo and Piccolo perform acts of high-wire acrobats as a distraction to villagers sneaking into the castle and wrest control of the territory from Ulrich once and for all. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Former circus acrobat Burt Lancaster was lucky enough to hit a home run – no, a grand slam - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>right out of the park with his first film, the film noir classic “The Killers” (1946). (He first filmed “Desert Fury” (1947) but that was released after “The Killers.)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">For the next four years Lancaster appeared in 10 films, almost all of them of the crime and film noir variety. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">As good an actor as he was, Lancaster was an even savvier businessman. Lancaster was one of the first actors to form his own production company. Directors such as Frank Capra and George Stevens did this too, for tax reasons as well as more creative freedom, but it was rare for an actor to exert such control over his own career, especially a newcomer. He teamed with producer Harold Hecht to form Hecht-Norma Productions. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The safe bet for his first film as a producer would have been to produce another noir thriller, which he did in 1948 with “Kiss the Blood Off My Hands” (1948). He could have kept doing more of the same, but Lancaster was smart enough to expand his base and do something completely different for his next production – a swashbuckling adventure film.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Hecht and Lancaster first offered the project to Columbia, who turned down the project. They were only interested in Burt Lancaster, gangster. Warner Bros accepted his proposal, and Hecht-Norma Productions signed with Warners. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Warner Bros. was a good choice, as Hecht-Norman saved money by using some of the studio’s standing sets, re-dressed from earlier costume adventures like “The Adventures of Don Juan” (1949). </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-anxkoTe7HR4/UheuIO17KmI/AAAAAAAACDg/Xn5l-9QCvOs/s1600/FlameandArrowLobbyCard.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-anxkoTe7HR4/UheuIO17KmI/AAAAAAAACDg/Xn5l-9QCvOs/s320/FlameandArrowLobbyCard.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">Like many actors today, Lancaster did projects he knew were not commercial viable, but felt he had to do. To get these projects done, he would star in movies made solely for entertainment. One for love and one for the money, as the saying goes. But Lancaster never shirked on the latter, and always made sure audiences got their money’s worth. A quote from Lancaster, the producer, is telling:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">“I think that in the main the film has to be entertaining. This is an industry, and its nature is to sell entertainment. People go to the theater for the most part to relax, to escape the tensions of life and the pressures in the world. Most picture makers try to make pictures which have the broadest possible appeal, for the obvious reason they are profitable and you have to stay alive. I like to get a point across, but I don’t see myself as a crusader. I think that every honest producer tries to say something. Everything, whether we like the term or not, has a message – even if the message is nothing more than ‘sit back, we’re just going to have some fun.’”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hlWZzyc35q8/UheuRTPWp0I/AAAAAAAACDw/mblnqX5asTc/s1600/FlameandArrowAcrobatBurt.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hlWZzyc35q8/UheuRTPWp0I/AAAAAAAACDw/mblnqX5asTc/s320/FlameandArrowAcrobatBurt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;And “The Flame and the Arrow” is fun. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">New York Times</i> Critic Bosley Crowther wrote, “Not since Douglas Fairbanks was leaping from castle walls and vaulting over the rooftops of storybook towns has the screen had such a reckless and acrobatic young man….as it has in Mr. Lancaster.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Author Tony Thomas also made the Fairbanks connection in his book “Burt Lancaster” (Pyramid Publications, 1975): “No one since Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. had vaulted, leaped, swung, somersaulted and balanced with such verve as Lancaster in The Flame and the Arrow. Warners let it be loudly known that no stuntmen or doubles were needed for this star, until an angry Don Turner spoke up, saying that he had been involved in three sequences. But Turner wanted no credit for the purely acrobatic stuff, the pirouettes in mid-air, the high-bar walking, and the high-pole balancing.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In the late 1940s, movie fans were anxious to read more about their new idol, and were likely amused to read about Lancaster’s early days in the circus as an acrobat and trapeze artist. When he was set to begin “The Flame and The Arrow”, he called upon his old partner Nick Cravat to join him. Cravat had no acting experience, a problem remedied by having his character Piccolo be a mute. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GsVPPcDY1GY/UheuZe1XJgI/AAAAAAAACD4/qcxk8FYrQmk/s1600/FlameandArrowCravat.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GsVPPcDY1GY/UheuZe1XJgI/AAAAAAAACD4/qcxk8FYrQmk/s320/FlameandArrowCravat.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">After the movie completed shooting, Lancaster and Cravat embarked on a nationwide tour courtesy the Cole Brothers Circus to revive their circus act for four weeks, at $11,000 per week. Audiences turned out in droves to see Lancaster do his high-wire circus magic, not only in person but in the theaters. “The Flame and the Arrow” was the 12<sup>th</sup> biggest grossing film in 1950. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Audiences greatly enjoyed the new heroic Burt. Lancaster’s biographer wrote that with this film, Lancaster re-invented himself. “Instead of being methodical, he was expansive; instead of brooding, he was ebullient; instead of moving heavily and speaking slowly, he became light and graceful and lilting.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">However, as enjoyable as it is, it is not without its faults, and while it may be the first of Lancaster’s 1950s adventure film larks, for me it’s one of the weakest. I’ve always enjoyed the film, but a recent viewing left me wanting in parts. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">An original running time of two hours trimmed to 88 minutes is a big factor. There are plot holes a plenty which I suspect were taken care of in that 120-minute cut. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">For instance, here you have Robert Douglas (always a pleasure to see and listen to) complaining to Count Ulrich about the Count’s excessive taxation. In his next scene, Douglas is captured by Dardo (Lancaster) and his outlaw gang and Douglas throws in with them with nary a glance back at his former existence. The situation is there for a reason, but the suddenness in which it is presented is quite jarring. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I also feel there should be more tension between Dardo and Count Ulrich, seeing that Ulrich stole Dardo’s wife away from him. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The great Norman Lloyd is on hand as Apollo, the Minstrel, but it’s a disappointingly small role, and I wonder if some of his footage was trimmed</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The film’s most interesting credit is writer Waldo Salt, who later wrote the scripts for “Midnight Cowboy” (1969) and “Coming Home” (1978). He was one of the victims of the blacklist during the fifties. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Despite the film’s gusto, I’m sure a pro like director Jacques Tourneur decried the missing footage. What’s left though, is quite striking. Tourneur<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>stages a most unique duel in a darkened room. His strong compositional eye is evident in the night scenes, torch lit as Dardo and gang plan their next action. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nhB2QA1yZI8/Uhevgh6OzvI/AAAAAAAACEE/ng4B32cmNE8/s1600/FlameArrowDouglas.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nhB2QA1yZI8/Uhevgh6OzvI/AAAAAAAACEE/ng4B32cmNE8/s1600/FlameArrowDouglas.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">As I said earlier, Robert Douglas is always a treat. While he’s no Basil Rathbone, he’s one of the most dependable scoundrels in the adventure film canon. I love listening to his clear, crisp diction. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The college age daughter of a friend of mine has mentioned to me she finds acting in old movies to be stagy, with actors exaggerating their line delivery. I don’t agree with her, but I think I know what she is saying. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I think she is used to what some consider the more realistic style of acting of the last several decades. For the last 10 years or so, though, I’ve noticed a lot of actors mumbling their lines, and really, no one talks like that in real life. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I didn’t like this year’s “World War Z” for many reasons, and one of them was the near inaudible levels at which some of the dialogue was spoken. I think a lot of actors feel mumbling their lines makes it more real, but if anything it heightens the unreality of the scene. I’ll take the wonderful diction of the likes of Robert Douglas any day. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Lancaster was proud of his initial foray into costume adventure, and the film looked ahead to some of the more light-hearted adventure films that would come in the decades to come. He later remarked, “I daresay we were the innovators of camping up that type of thing, which later became famous in the Bond series. We had scenes in the movie that Jack Warner threw up his hands over. As the first camp swashbuckler it had a lot of spoofing and schtick, funny bits of business.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">As I said earlier, as much as I enjoy the film, I do prefer Lancaster’s other adventures films from this decade. “Ten Tall Men” (1951) is a most engaging Foreign Legion romp; the South Seas adventure “His Majesty O’Keefe” (1954) is a blast; the western “Vera Cruz” has Burt grinning so much its like he’s doing a commercial for the American Dental Association;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>and his masterpiece, the pirate spoof “The Crimson Pirate” (1952) is one of the most giddily entertaining movies ever made.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">But “The Flame and the Arrow” was a good start. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vlQ_l2crEIw/Uhew0YeUe1I/AAAAAAAACEQ/6eruLmozpWc/s1600/flame-and-the-arrow-trailer-title.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vlQ_l2crEIw/Uhew0YeUe1I/AAAAAAAACEQ/6eruLmozpWc/s320/flame-and-the-arrow-trailer-title.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Background on the film taken from Max Steiner’s soundtrack CD, issued in 1998 by the BYU FMA (A Brigham Young University Film Music Archives Production).</div><br />http://kevinsmoviecorner.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-flame-and-arrow.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Deany)12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229.post-2950752984951143392Mon, 05 Aug 2013 14:51:00 +00002013-08-07T12:10:42.511-07:00Gore VerbinskiJohnny DeppThe Lone RangerThe Lone Ranger (2013)<br />&nbsp;<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FAGYJ3oRaSs/UfwUBQtxbcI/AAAAAAAACCg/CrSX4jw4qwU/s1600/LoneRangerPoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FAGYJ3oRaSs/UfwUBQtxbcI/AAAAAAAACCg/CrSX4jw4qwU/s320/LoneRangerPoster.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aajwA9Bvrow/UfwUFI-LrpI/AAAAAAAACCo/eg98fOzuato/s1600/LoneRangerSolo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2lGk7uTlCr8/UfwUI6mGxcI/AAAAAAAACCw/8bBH0CpeAFs/s1600/LoneRangerWalking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">I saw the new “Lone Ranger” movie and it’s every bit as awful as the reviews have said. There’s an enormous train wreck at the end, a potent metaphor for what this movie is. It’s amazing the amount of time, money and talent wasted by a group of people who made a Lone Ranger movie and elected to trash the Lone Ranger and Tonto characters and everything they represent. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">That groaning sound you’re hearing is not Clayton Moore turning over in his grave. Rather, it’s Walt Disney doing the honors, whose company logo tops “The Lone Ranger.” Walt may have had his faults, but he was a very smart businessman and would never have countenanced the treatment the Lone Ranger and Tonto get here. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Some may say this material needs to be re-fashioned for a more contemporary audience. Perhaps, but this is not the way to do it. The Lone Ranger and Tonto were best friends, extremely loyal, and had each other’s back at all times. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2lGk7uTlCr8/UfwUI6mGxcI/AAAAAAAACCw/8bBH0CpeAFs/s1600/LoneRangerWalking.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2lGk7uTlCr8/UfwUI6mGxcI/AAAAAAAACCw/8bBH0CpeAFs/s320/LoneRangerWalking.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Here, in director Gore Verbinski’s re-imagining, John Reid, The Lone Ranger (a very bland Armie Hammer) and Tonto (Johnny Depp) barely tolerate each other. Such ideas as honor, duty and loyalty are lampooned. When Tonto drags an unconscious Lone Ranger behind him through a pile of horse manure I knew the film had nothing but contempt for its characters, and I was in for the long haul. . </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">No, I take that back. Before that there’s an early scene where John Reid is on a train and a religious service is going on. A woman asks him if he would like to pray with them. He holds a copy of “Two Treatises of Government” by John Locke and tells her, “This is my Bible.” </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Yep, Hollywood gets another slam in against religion, even though it’s a complete turn around for a character who would never say such a thing. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Now, I’ve never been a fan of Gore Verbinski, a director who never shot a foot of film he didn’t feel he should include in the final cut. I did enjoy his “The Ring” (2002) and “The Weather Man” (2008), but have little good to say anything good about any of his Pirates of the Caribbean movies –soulless, depressing movies with about 30 minutes of barely-interesting plot stretched over the course of what, eight hours? </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">“The Lone Ranger” offers more of the same, a butt-numbing 149 minutes of meandering scenes, a dull framing story and a lot of incidents that could easily have trimmed with no loss to the movie. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">For example, there’s a scene where John Reid wakes up and finds himself atop a wooden platform built on top of a very high narrow rock formation. Why? What’s the purpose of the scene? Why would anyone build a platform like that on a rock? No doubt Verbinski liked the visual of a platform built on the formation, but I thought of the time and energy spent building this prop and then having it serve no purpose was a complete waste of time and money.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pKkUJ6nz2do/UfwT3yHuVrI/AAAAAAAACCQ/EDGMiksWAwc/s1600/LoneRangerBonhamCarter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pKkUJ6nz2do/UfwT3yHuVrI/AAAAAAAACCQ/EDGMiksWAwc/s320/LoneRangerBonhamCarter.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Helena Bonham Carter is on hand as a madam and her scenes could easily have been cut and no one the wiser. She has a prosthetic leg that she contains a shotgun and she shoots if off at the conclusion to serve as a distraction but for the life of me I can’t figure out who she was helping and why. No doubt left over from an earlier version of the screenplay.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Also left over is a bizarre scene involving rabbits with elongated fangs which comes out of nowhere and I wish it had stayed there. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">But it is the complete emasculation of everything that makes The Lone Ranger that was the deal breaker for me. Here he’s a boob, who can barely ride a horse until the final spectacular action sequence, when suddenly he’s the champion rider of all time. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Silver, his horse, seems to possess supernatural characteristics as well. I guess one can’t have an entertainment of this kind without a supernatural element added for the kids in the audience. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I will say the final action scene is at least well shot and edited, even if it monumentally stupid with the Lone Ranger and Silver galloping not only on top of a speeding train, but jumping railroad cars and racing inside the carriage itself. Who comes up with this stuff?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Just because you can show something doesn’t mean you should.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Finally, in this sequence, the William Tell Overture kicks in and I felt a surge of excitement. Finally (there’s that word again), after more than two hours to get what we paid our ticket for. But then he had to ride that horse on the train and I gave up. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Vek18bAu5bg/UfwT8HC4vwI/AAAAAAAACCY/4zvbFYtVAIw/s1600/LoneRangerDepp.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Vek18bAu5bg/UfwT8HC4vwI/AAAAAAAACCY/4zvbFYtVAIw/s320/LoneRangerDepp.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I like Johnny Depp – he’s the only aspect of the Pirates movies I like though I abhor the rest – and think he’s actually quite good here. But I think it’s the wrong character in this movie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Tonto has some scenes where he’s so dimwitted it borders on the offensive. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>Tonto is not Jack Sparrow. This is one time when Depp’s instincts failed him. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">A minor spoiler ahead but the final scene has the Lone Ranger yell out his famous trademark “Hi Yo Silver Away” only to cut to a furious Tonto snarling, “Don’t ever do that again.” The Lone Ranger bashfully says he won’t. See, the filmmakers even feel superior to the famous catchphrase. (Admittedly, that scene did get a big laugh from the audience I saw it with, but I was cringing in my chair). </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">And even over the end credits the audience gets cheated. We think there’s going to be some sort of bonus scene during the end credits, which seems to be the norm these days. We see Tonto as an old man walking towards Monument Valley and as the credits play he keeps walking into the distance. And that’s it. Lots of walking, with no point. Much like “The Lone Ranger.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aajwA9Bvrow/UfwUFI-LrpI/AAAAAAAACCo/eg98fOzuato/s1600/LoneRangerSolo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aajwA9Bvrow/UfwUFI-LrpI/AAAAAAAACCo/eg98fOzuato/s320/LoneRangerSolo.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">Oddly, I didn’t feel angry when exiting the auditorium, as I do when I see really bad movies. But I did feel sadness. Sadness that the movies don’t believe in heroes anymore and think its OK that such qualities as honor, duty, dignity and responsibility can not be part of a screen character. That a character who has exhibited those qualities in the past is now portrayed as a clown who can barely ride a horse.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Awhile ago there was talk that Robert Downey, Jr. would appear as Perry Mason, in a movie set in the 1930s.I haven’t heard anything about it since, so I wonder if it may ever come to pass. Still, after watching “The Lone Ranger” I can only imagine what they will come up.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Let’s see, how about Perry Mason and Paul Drake as lovers. When Perry hires a new secretary, Della Street, and engages in an affair with her, Paul exhibits signs of raging jealousy. One night he threatens to kill Della if she won’t leave Perry alone. When Della winds up murdered, and Paul is accused of the crime, aspiring assistant district attorney Hamilton Burger, who has eyes to become the next district attorney, sees Paul’s conviction as his ticket to the top. In a race against time, Perry must find the real killer to clear Paul, and stop Hamilton from finding out about Perry’s and Paul’s illicit relationship.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It sounds preposterous I know, but I wouldn’t put it past the wonder kids of Hollywood today. If you had told me one day a studio would make a Lone Ranger movie where the Lone Ranger and Tonto can’t stand each other, I would have said it sounds like an idea “Saturday Night Live” would put on during the last 10 minutes of the show. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I don’t like to see any movie fail, but I’m glad this one did. I hope some heads roll. I hope whoever decided that the Lone Ranger and Tonto should be lampooned is denied studio access for the rest of their careers. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I wish someone had looked at the marvelous “The Mask of Zorro” (1998) re-boot and said, see, this how we can make a movie respecting an old-time hero while freshening it for new audiences. I wish someone had screened them “Captain America: The First Avenger” (2011) to show a protagonist believing in his country, duty and doing the right thing could easily resonate with audiences and not condescend to them.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">“The Lone Ranger”, of all characters, should be a strong antidote to our cynical times. What a shame Verbinski &amp; Co. didn’t realize this.</div>http://kevinsmoviecorner.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-lone-ranger-2013.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Deany)19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229.post-9050566543814541929Wed, 24 Jul 2013 14:52:00 +00002013-07-24T07:52:08.605-07:00Alfred NewmanDana AndrewsDick HaymesDonald MeekJeanne CrainRodgers and HammersteinState Fair (1945)Vivian BlaineWilliam MarshallState Fair (1945)&nbsp;<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZQjfzMwgV-U/Ue7QAvG-ObI/AAAAAAAACBo/H5lpcnGiUGA/s1600/StateFairPoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZQjfzMwgV-U/Ue7QAvG-ObI/AAAAAAAACBo/H5lpcnGiUGA/s320/StateFairPoster.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cU_kPKzvI0Y/Ue7QFDpQCXI/AAAAAAAACBw/Pbp6UfTUy7U/s1600/StateFairWinningerBainter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1fBVjs58XT8/Ue7Rpjr9m5I/AAAAAAAACCA/AqQlKQgabKo/s1600/StateFairIowa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">I’ve never attended a state fair, but I wouldn’t mind going to one, especially after watching “State Fair” (1945), which a friend of mine, a veteran of many state fairs, says is pretty accurate. Minus the singing of course.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">What he was referring to was the hog contests, the food competitions, horseracing, carnival rides and shady barkers. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Plus the food. In “State Fair” there’s a close-up of a hamburger in Technicolor that I think even PETA would find mouth-watering. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">”State Fair” is probably best known today as Rodgers and Hammerstein’s only original Hollywood musical. The team had scored a massive hit in the theater with “Oklahoma” and when 20<sup>th</sup> Century Fox elected to remake “State Fair”, originally filmed in 1933 with Will Rogers and Janet Gaynor, it was decided to hire the famed songwriting team to write songs for this wonderful piece of Americana. (I’ve never seen the 1933 version, but would love to. I have seen the 1962 remake with Alice Faye and wish I could unsee it).</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Anyone with an ounce of cynicism would do well to stay away from “State Fair.” But for me, it’s a real treat, with a clever screenplay that gives each member of the Frake family, and several supporting characters, a chance to each enjoy a big scene, either in song, comedy or drama. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cU_kPKzvI0Y/Ue7QFDpQCXI/AAAAAAAACBw/Pbp6UfTUy7U/s1600/StateFairWinningerBainter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cU_kPKzvI0Y/Ue7QFDpQCXI/AAAAAAAACBw/Pbp6UfTUy7U/s1600/StateFairWinningerBainter.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The Frake family – Father Abel (Charles Winninger), Mother Melissa (Fay Bainter), Daughter Margy (Jeanne Crain) and Son Wayne (Dick Haymes) prepare to go to the Iowa state fair. Abel is anxious to enter his prize hog Blue Boy, while Melissa anxiously enters her pickles and mincemeat in the food competition. Daughter Margy is as “restless as a wind storm and as jumpy as a puppet on a string” and son Wayne is despondent his girlfriend won’t be going with him to the fair. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tiS2DHctlYQ/Ue7PrTmv1DI/AAAAAAAACBQ/KxWydiaTNvI/s1600/StateFairCrain.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tiS2DHctlYQ/Ue7PrTmv1DI/AAAAAAAACBQ/KxWydiaTNvI/s320/StateFairCrain.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The film helped make Jeanne Crain a star. No wonder, what with those very generous close-ups of her singing. While her voice was dubbed, she does a very good job of acting the songs, especially the song that introduces her and her indecisive character “It Might As Well Be Spring.” Jeanne Crain was very popular with audiences and could have made more movies if she wasn’t always getting pregnant, to the everlasting dismay of Fox studio head Darryl F. Zanuck. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">(Later on during this segment, she imagines the voices of Charles Boyer, Ronald Colman and Bing Crosby wooing her. I’ve always wondered if those were the actual voices or done by impersonators. Does anybody know? They sound like the real thing to me.) </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Margy falls in love with reporter Pat Gilbert (Dana Andrews), covering the fair for the Des Moines paper. Andrews is very charming in the role even if it is fairly one dimensional. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I’ve always liked Dana Andrews and like him more after watching the DVD’s special features. Apparently he had a very good singing voice but the studio didn’t know that. He learned that his singing would be dubbed, and because he didn’t want the guy doing his dubbing to be out of a job, he kept silent and never told his Fox bosses about his musical talent. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Admittedly, Dana Andrews doesn’t get a “big” scene, but everyone else does. Wayne falls in love with singer Emily Edwards (Vivian Blaine) and they share a charming duet together, “Isn’t It Kind of Fun” but is heartbroken when he learns a secret about her. Abel gets his scene when he enters Blue Boy in the blue ribbon contest, and Melissa sweats out her pickles and mincemeat competition.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g8Bl4ZwwE08/Ue7P0hvCyNI/AAAAAAAACBY/HMq0qVr4TpM/s1600/StateFairMeek.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g8Bl4ZwwE08/Ue7P0hvCyNI/AAAAAAAACBY/HMq0qVr4TpM/s320/StateFairMeek.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This could be my favorite scene in the movie because one of the judges is Mr. Hippenstahl, played by the great Donald Meek, who steals the show from everyone. Melissa is unaware that Abel has spiked the mincemeat with copious amounts of brandy. She adds her own dose of brandy as well and the expression on Mr. Hippenstahl when he tastes the well-laced mincemeat is classic. He keeps digging into the mincemeat with unconcealed glee. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b5wkGffRDKw/Ue7P8PI6y2I/AAAAAAAACBg/RjDio_ppzkM/s1600/StateFairMorgan.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b5wkGffRDKw/Ue7P8PI6y2I/AAAAAAAACBg/RjDio_ppzkM/s320/StateFairMorgan.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Harry Morgan also enjoys a memorable scene as a crooked carny worker who gets outed by a revenge-seeking Wayne, who got rooked the year before. Morgan’s slow-burn as he realizes the tables are turning on him make this one of my favorite scenes of his in a long and distinguished career. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In addition to the splendid Technicolor photography, I’ve always enjoyed the treatment the music gets. When Alfred Newman is music director on a show, one is in for a treat. Just listen to those yearning, shimmering strings in the “It Might As Well Be Spring” number. It’s a perfect accompaniment to a song that introduces Margy’s character as well as any amount of dialogue could. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0lI0LqWtN6k/Ue7PmHJUw7I/AAAAAAAACBI/ct9wZfb2ud0/s1600/StateFairAndrewsCrain.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0lI0LqWtN6k/Ue7PmHJUw7I/AAAAAAAACBI/ct9wZfb2ud0/s320/StateFairAndrewsCrain.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The film’s best known song “It’s a Grand Night for Singing” gets a wonderful treatment, starting in the beer garden where Wayne surprises Emily with his crooning, and continues on to the rest of the carnival, including a singing Margy and Pat in a flying carnival ride. It’s a glorious sequence.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The only dance number comes at the end with “All I Owe I Owe Iowa”, a jubilant number with Emily dancing with Abel (Charles Winninger obviously using a few steps he learned in vaudeville). I love Hammerstein’s lyric for this song. He turns Iowa into Io-way to rhyme with Hooray. Great stuff. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Everybody in “Stare Fair” is good and decent. Those that aren’t get put in their place, like Harry Morgan’s barker character and arrogant bandleader Tommy Thomas (William Marshall). </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Errol Flynn fans know Marshall as director of two of the legendary star’s most ignoble efforts. “Adventures of Captain Fabian” (1951) for Republic and the never-seen “Hello God” (1951) for which no prints have been known to survive. Marshall also appeared alongside Flynn in “Santa Fe Trail” (1940) as George Pickett. (Even in a blog on “State Fair” I can find a way to mention of the Mighty Flynn.)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Director Walter Lang will never make the auteur books, but looking at his filmography I realized how many of his films are great favorites of mine, including my favorite Betty Grable movies: “Moon Over Miami” (1941), “Coney Island” (1943) and “Mother Wore Tights” (1947). Clifton Webb enjoyed two of his greatest successes with Lang, with “Sitting Pretty” (1948) and “Cheaper by the Dozen” (1950). Lang also directed my favorite Rodgers and Hammerstein adaptation, “The King and I” (1956). In a lot of these movies, scenes of sadness or unhappiness are acknowledged as part of life, but not something to be lingered over. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I’ve seen “State Fair” several times and each time my fondness for it grows. The music is great, the photography impeccable, I like everyone in the cast, those Jeanne Crain close-ups are marvelous to behold and the ending sends everyone out happy. There’s a feeling of good cheer that permeates the movie from beginning to end. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I can’t wait to watch it again. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>http://kevinsmoviecorner.blogspot.com/2013/07/state-fair-1945.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Deany)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229.post-7807945272106505134Wed, 26 Jun 2013 20:09:00 +00002013-06-27T14:07:09.773-07:00Celebrity MeetingsReprint: Celebrity Encounters Over the Years<div>A few weeks ago, I passed the 100,000 hit on this blog, which began in 2007. I'm thrilled with the response and gratified to all who have stopped by and read. I like to think I've made some very nice relationships with people from around the world who I have never met, but share a love for Golden Age Hollywood.<br /><br />By far my most popular post has been this one from November 8, 2009, about my various celebrity meetings over the years and I thought I would re-run it for any of those who missed it the first time. But please don't look for any gossip here. Some were just saying hello to someone at, say, a book signing. But for me me they were very memorable and I hope you enjoy them too. Still, I can't help but be a bit sad, as some of these people have since passed on. But I enjoyed meeting them and have nothing but pleasant memories of all my counters.<br /><br />Thanks to all for reading and I'll be back soon with another blog post. So here, with a bit of minor modification, usually involving pictures, is my November 8, 2011 blog post on celebrity meetings over the years. <br /><br />I haven’t seen any movies lately worth blogging about, but since this is a movie blog, I thought I would pass on some celebrity encounters I’ve had over the years. Some of them are pretty ordinary, and are shared by many, such as book signings and convention appearances. Book signings by big stars are usually so packed there’s no time for conversation.<br /><br />In all cases, all my encounters have been very cordial, but then I like to think I have relatively strong social skills and always remember never to overstep my boundaries…I am not their friend and never will be. I just take a moment to explain to them how much I enjoy their work and I think everyone, celebrity or not, appreciates hearing that. Some of these names here are the biggest in Hollywood history, while others are known only to film buffs. But all are memorable and I’m glad to have had them.<br /><br /><b>First Encounter</b></div><br /><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379189863665879522" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_T6QNT39-HnQ/Sqa4rksvyeI/AAAAAAAAARk/UA2aa6DwJA0/s400/KingVidor.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 302px;" /><br /><div>I think the first celebrity I ever met was the great director <b>King Vidor</b>, responsible for such silent classics as “The Big Parade” (1925) and “The Crowd” and later director of “Duel in the Sun” (1946), “Street Scene” (1931), “Bird of Paradise” (1932), “The Fountainhead” (1946) and so many others. I was about 12 years old and already a budding film buff. Vidor was the guest of honor at a festival called, I believe, the Midwest Film Conference, which was being held in Evanston. My dad knew the organizer of the event and the two of us spent the weekend in Evanston. I have vague memories of having the TV on in that hotel room and hearing that Larry Fine had died, which would have placed the weekend in January, 1975.<br /><br />That Friday night, Vidor reminisced about his career, along with lots of film clips, to a large appreciate audience. Afterwards, my dad’s friend invited us to a private reception for King Vidor at the penthouse suite of the hotel. We introduced ourselves and had a very pleasant conversation with him. He signed a promotional booklet I had on the “Men Who Made the Movies” TV series for which he was interviewed (he liked the program very much) and seemed amused at the interest from an inquisitive 12-year-old. I remember asking him what Gary Cooper was like and he said, “Oh, he was always on the move. He always had a fast car nearby and once he was done with the day’s filming, he would jump in his car and speed away.”<br /><br />Earlier in the evening, Vidor had talked about one of his favorite films, a saga about a steel family dynasty called “An American Romance” (1944). He rued that M-G-M had cut many of the best scenes. My dad remembered a lot of the film and recounted some of the shots which made a huge impression on him, shots he still remembered. Vidor had a huge smile on his face when my dad told him this and said, “Ah, you must have seen it in the military.” My dad said yes, he was in the U.S. Navy and the film was shown on their ship quite frequently. Vidor said the military received a print of the entire film as he envisioned, but stateside saw an abbreviated version with the M-G-M-mandated cuts. He seemed humbled and flattered that the film left such a lasting impression on my dad.<br /><br /><b>Book Signings</b><br /><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379189410463591122" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_T6QNT39-HnQ/Sqa4RMY5qtI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/N-f5JBFzg2s/s400/heston_faceshot.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 208px;" /></div><div>Being a huge <b>Charlton Heston</b> fan, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see him live back in the mid-1970s when he was making a personal appearance to herald the opening of the new B. Dalton Bookstore on Wabash Ave. in the Loop. The place was mobbed and he was handing out autographed photos and greeting fans. I finally got up to the table and shook his hand and said how much I enjoyed “Will Penny” (1968), which I had just seen and how I thought it was his best performance. He thanked me and said, “I wish everyone who says that now would have seen it when it first opened, but I’m glad it’s got such a following now.” One of the tallest men I’ve ever met (he towered over everyone) and the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen on anyone.<br /><br />I then asked him if he was going to do the rumored biography of Robert E. Lee. He said he wanted to, they were waiting for financing. It was never made and that’s too bad. He would have made a fine Lee.<br /><br /><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379189940067150850" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_T6QNT39-HnQ/Sqa4wBUOrAI/AAAAAAAAARs/N_Qw-XXlEms/s400/kirk_faceshot.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 208px;" /></div><div><b>Kirk Douglas</b> had no use for me, even though I was buying his autobiography “The Ragman’s Son” and waited in line more than two hours during a workday lunch to get it signed. Nothing personal, I don’t think, it’s just that I was the wrong sex. You see, he was flirting with all the women in line. Me, I was just a poor schlub looking for an autograph. But I thanked him for all the hours of pleasure his movies have given me, especially a personal favorite, “The Vikings” (1958). He thanked me for coming out and then proceeded to flirt shamelessly with the woman behind me.<br /><br /><br /><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379189612965638722" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_T6QNT39-HnQ/Sqa4c-xJskI/AAAAAAAAARM/B31VhV6aj0w/s400/jimmy_portrait.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 299px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 250px;" /></div><br /><div>Kirk Douglas took the time to inscribe my name when signing his autograph. No such luck with <b>James Stewart</b>, making a personal appearance at the Marshall Fields at Water Tower Place to sign his recently released volume of poetry. That was another two-hours-plus wait during a workday. It’s a small wonder I wasn’t fired from my job. There were a ton of people there, and no time for chit chat. No time to sign personal names either, just a quick signature from Mr. Stewart. I thanked him and he looked at me with those very gentle blue eyes and nodded his head. I’ll never forget that wistful expression on his face. Like Heston he also had extraordinarily blue eyes.<br /><br /></div><br /><div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379188942693143010" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_T6QNT39-HnQ/Sqa319zvEeI/AAAAAAAAAQc/1EPtq-ZV6FE/s400/DracRisen.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 280px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 223px;" /></div><br /><div><b>Christopher Lee</b> was making a rare personal appearance at a horror convention in Baltimore called Fanex to promote his autobiography “Tall Dark and Gruesome.” Guidelines were very strict for the autograph session. No other items would be signed and no prolonged conversations allowed. However, he would shake hands and allow pictures to be taken as your book was being autographed. The guidelines may be strict but there were so many people there and so many horror fans are so nuts…er, I mean fanatical…that I completely understood where the conference organizers were coming from. I got my book signed and shook his hand. He handed my signed book back and I said, “It was a great pleasure to meet you.” He looked at me very solemnly with a Rasputin-like stare and slowly nodded his head. I’ve been nodded at by the best of them.<br /><br /><br /><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379190172863245938" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_T6QNT39-HnQ/Sqa49kjJLnI/AAAAAAAAAR8/C6ldv6fpQG0/s400/MichaelCaine.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 290px;" /></div><br /><div><b>Michael Caine</b> showed up at Kroch &amp; Brentano’s in the Loop to sign his (very readable) autobiography “What’s It All About?” Again, a workday lunch lasting over two hours in line. Why do I do this for a short scribble? I don’t know but I do. I finally got up there and we said hello to each other. I said, “I’ll bet you’ll sleep well tonight after all your signing.” He said, “No problem there. I never have trouble sleeping.” Sure, it may not be the most meaningful conversation, but I treasure it.</div><br /><div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379189054402536962" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_T6QNT39-HnQ/Sqa38d9VJgI/AAAAAAAAAQk/rRQJjKQ_Scg/s400/Gene_Hackman.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 308px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 230px;" /></div><br /><div>Celebrity nightmare time occurred right in front of me, and I was terrified I would be the unwilling recipient of an actor’s wrath. One of my favorite actors, <b>Gene Hackman</b>, was making an appearance at the Borders on North Michigan Avenue to sign a fiction book he co-authored called “The Wreck of the Perdido Star.” (A good, ripping historical sea yarn by the way.) He and his co-author answered questions from the audience for a good half hour and I was pleased that most of the questions were about the book and the process of researching and writing. I waited in line to get my book signed and was next in line when the guy in front of me reaches into his briefcase, hands a large bundle of papers to Hackman and says, “I’ve written this script. It’s just perfect for you. Please take it and read it.” The script was quickly confiscated by security and Hackman said to him (much nicer than the guy deserved), “I’m sorry. I don’t accept scripts. All scripts come through my agent.” The guy was led quickly away and I was up next. Was Gene Hackman going to pull a Soup Nazi on me? I handed him my book, leaned in a little bit and quietly said, “I’m just here to get my book signed.” He didn’t say anything but gave me one of those crooked Gene Hackman smiles, signed my book, thanked me for coming out and hoped I enjoyed the book.<br /><br /><br /><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379189704532901730" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_T6QNT39-HnQ/Sqa4iT4fP2I/AAAAAAAAARU/4p7fs_fBEyo/s400/jleigh_portrait.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 302px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 225px;" /></div><br /><div><b>Janet Leigh</b> delighted the crowd on hand to meet her and get her John Henry on a book she wrote about the making of “Psycho.” God, she was so petite. Anyway, I told her how much I enjoy “Prince Valiant” (1954), and that it was one of my favorite films. I said, “I know it’s not as important as some of the other films you’ve made, and it wasn’t a very challenging role for you, but I love that movie.” She was very gracious and said, “I love that movie too. When I was a little girl I used to read the Prince Valiant comic strip all the time, so I was thrilled to be in the movie.” <br /><br /><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379189151470626178" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_T6QNT39-HnQ/Sqa4CHkKpYI/AAAAAAAAAQs/LE7j07ieSik/s400/GingerRogers.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 314px;" /></div><div>I couldn’t believe some of the meanness I heard from people around me upon seeing <b>Ginger</b> <b>Rogers</b> in the flesh. She was at Marshall Fields to sign her autobiography “My Life” and some of the older women around me were shocked that, gasp, she wore glasses, and walked with a cane and, boy, she sure doesn’t look good does she? Did they expect her to look like she did when she danced with Fred Astaire? I’ll never understand people. But I got to meet her, which was a real thrill. Like Kirk Douglas, I thanked her for all the hours of pleasure her movies have given me. She said in that distinct Ginger Rogers voice, “Well, we had a lot of fun making them. I’m glad people still enjoy them.” It was only a brief moment, but I’m glad I had the chance to meet one of my favorite actresses.<br /><br /><br /><b>Near Brushes with Stars</b><br />Back in the late 1980s, I think I stood next to <b>William Petersen</b> on a street corner waiting for a light to change. I knew him from “Manhunter” (1986) and “To Live and Die in L.A.” (1985), and when not in L.A. he often appeared at Steppenwolf. It was a spring afternoon and he was dressed very casually in a sports shirt and slacks. This was before business casual attire, and it was the splitting image of the guy, so I like to think it was him.<br /><br />At my old job, I use to walk the breadth of downtown Chicago from Union Station to my office in River North. There used to be a ton of movies shooting downtown and in my hikes to and from work or during lunch I saw quite a few movies being shot. I saw <b>Tom Hanks</b> film a scene from “Nothing in Common” (1986), <b>James Wo</b>ods and <b>Dolly Parton</b> in “Straight Talk” (1992), <b>Arnold Schwarzenegger</b> get out of a limo while waiting for a scene to be shot in “Raw Deal” (1986), and a few others I can’t remember right now.<br /><br />My brother and I did go downtown on a Saturday afternoon to see the parade scene in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (1986) being shot, but I left after about an hour and a half to go record shopping at Rose Records. Watching a film being made has to be the dullest experience ever. While waiting for the scene to be shot, female lead <b>Mia Sara</b> stood practically next to my brother and me. I recognized her because she had just shot the Tom Cruise fantasy film “Legend” (1985). I was going to ask her about the horrible “Legend” news that the Jerry Goldsmith score was being dumped for Tangerine Dream drivel, and what the hell is Ridley Scott thinking with that decision, but figured I would likely be arrested, so I kept my mouth shut. I did see them film the “Danke Schien” portion of the scene, but left before the parade broke into “Twist and Shout.” I’ve never had a moment’s regret.<br /><br />Two years in a row my friend and I went to the Tweeter Center (or whatever it’s called now) to see a performance by the <b>Ringo Starr</b> Traveling All Star Band. One year we were fearful of traffic and parking and got there quite early. We were sitting there in the late afternoon drinking Cokes when who do we see walking towards us but Ringo Starr. He was in the midst of a group of people on the way to the nearby sponsors tent for some photo opps. He was talking with the guys around him and passed about three feet in front of us. We didn’t say anything to him, but it was cool to see Ringo so up close.<br /><br /><br /><b>Backstage with Dennis Morgan</b></div><br /><br /><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379188828384172418" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_T6QNT39-HnQ/Sqa3vT-WmYI/AAAAAAAAAQU/Eoa7RonZhvE/s400/dmorgan_portrait.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 204px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 180px;" /><br /><div>The following is more of a backstage meeting. I’ve always been a big fan of <b>Dennis Morgan</b>, best known for the musicals he made at Warner Bros. in the 1940s and 1950s. Always a very genial presence on screen, he showed up in Chicago in the mid-1970s to replace an ailing Pat O’Brien in a play called “Skip and Go Naked” at the Drury Lane Theater in Evergreen Park. My parents, cheerfully if somewhat befuddled by my interest in such things, agreed to go see the play during a summer vacation. I built up the courage and wrote a letter to Mr. Morgan asking if there was a chance I could meet him after the show. I left my phone number. A representative from the theater called and said he would be happy to meet us. I brought along a book on Warner Bros. for him to sign, along with a bootleg LP of the “Thank Your Lucky Stars” soundtrack. He could not have been nicer, and seemed highly amused that I was so interested in meeting him. He met the rest of my family and introduced me to his fellow cast mates, taking time to pass the Warner Bros. book along to his cast mates. We had a short chat, and it was very pleasant. He was just as nice as he was in the movies. It may have been an act, but I don’t think so. I’ve never read anything about him that would make me think otherwise. A few weeks later I received from him an autographed photo. I still have that photo and I still enjoy his movies.<br /><br /><b>Horror Conventions</b><br />I’ve been to quite a few horror conventions and enjoy them, but most of the horror conventions now are geared to fans of more contemporary horror and most of the people I like in the genre are dead, so I’m not sure how many more I will go to. But I’ve had some nice encounters.<br /><br /><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379188430268476434" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_T6QNT39-HnQ/Sqa3YI4LLBI/AAAAAAAAAP0/devnQgY5XoU/s400/Caroline4.bmp" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 290px;" /></div><br /><br /><div>I think its fair to say that for a lot of guys my generation, English beauty <b>Caroline Munro</b> got us happily through puberty and beyond, thanks to appearances in “Dracula A.D. 1972”, “Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter” (1974), “The Golden Voyage of Sinbad” (1973), “At the Earth’s Core” (1975) and the 007 flick “The Spy Who Loved Me” (1977).<br /><br />I had met her at one convention in Baltimore and had my picture taken with her, a picture that proudly sits on a shelf at home. The second time I met her at a convention in New Jersey was much, much more memorable. Part of the weekend’s festivities was a panel discussion and tribute to Hammer great Peter Cushing, which Caroline was to take part in as she starred with Cushing in the Dracula and Earth’s Core flicks. Everyone was gathered in a huge banquet room and before the panel discussion there was a warm-up from a comedian. Caroline Munro entered, crossed the room (I’m sure every pair of eyes was on her, she’s still a stunningly beautiful woman) and proceeded to stand directly behind me! I got up and offered her my seat but she said, “”That’s very gallant of you, but no thank you. I’m fine.” She then stood me behind me for 15 minutes or so with her hands resting on my shoulders the entire time. I was in Heaven. And no, I haven’t washed those shoulders since and I don’t care how crusty those shoulders get, they’re not getting washed. </div><div><br /><br /></div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379189785104879266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_T6QNT39-HnQ/Sqa4nACWDqI/AAAAAAAAARc/0G6WVaQqbUU/s400/julieadams4.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 311px;" /><br /><div>I guess when you think of <b>Julie Adams</b> you think of her in that white swimsuit in “Creature from the Black Lagoon.” When I met her I went up to her and told her what a pleasant surprise I had recently watching the John Wayne cop movie “McQ” (1974) and saw her play a scene as the Duke’s ex-wife. I had forgotten she was in it. Well, her face lit up like a Christmas tree and she said how much she liked working with John Wayne. She probably gets tired of talking about the Gill Man all the time. Julie Adams is typical of those actors who never became huge stars but we always enjoy seeing, like old friends.<br /><br /><br /><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379189497803247426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_T6QNT39-HnQ/Sqa4WRwTD0I/AAAAAAAAARE/nWeXmx87NGM/s400/HouseofDracula.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 306px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></div><br /><br /><div>When I first started going to horror conventions, celebrities did not charge for autographs, and if they did prices started at $5. Now they’re $20 and over. I guess everyone needs to make a living, but more than $20 seems a bit much. <b>Jane Adams</b>, who played the hunchback nurse in “House of Dracula” (1945) and beat Kim Basinger to the Vicki Vale role in the Columbia serial “Batman and Robin” (1949) was incredibly gracious and would not accept money for her signature. She introduced me to her husband and young grandson, who seemed a little shell shocked that total strangers were showing such great interest in meeting his grandmother.<br /><br /><br /><br /><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379189259975239186" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_T6QNT39-HnQ/Sqa4IbxrphI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/C49GkP38TRE/s400/giantunknown.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 356px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 262px;" /></div><br /><div><b>Edward Kemmer</b> wouldn’t take any money for his signature either. The agreeable star of many a “B” science fiction film from 1950s seemed to enjoy talking to his many (middle-aged and older) fans. If you ever get a chance to see his resurrected Spanish conquistador flick “Giant from the Unknown” (1958), it’s really quite good.<br /><br /><br /><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379190053869266050" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_T6QNT39-HnQ/Sqa42pQxJII/AAAAAAAAAR0/PzF6WXtCFzE/s400/linda-harrison02.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 246px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></div><br /><div><b>Linda Harrison</b>, best known as the mute Nova in the first two “Planet of the Apes” movies, remains every bit as beautiful as she was running through the jungle chased by apes on horseback in 1968 and 1970. My buddy and I were among the first in line to meet her and get an autograph. Not that we were waiting long, but we just happened to be walking by when she first sat down at her table for the autograph session. No one else was there so we had a nice visit. She asked where we were from and what we did for a living. She had nothing but nice things to say about co-star Charlton Heston and was very proud to be a part of a series of movies that continues to resonate with so many people. <br /><br /><br /><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379190501551968818" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_T6QNT39-HnQ/Sqa5QtApEjI/AAAAAAAAASU/s17aOrOm--E/s400/YvetteVickers.bmp" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 243px;" /></div><br /><div>Another early appearance at an autograph session allowed me to help someone out. <b>Yvette Vickers</b>, a former sex kitten best known for her roles as the town tramps in “Attack of the 50-Foot Woman” (1958) and “Attack of the Giant Leeches” (1960), had just sat down and was charging $5 for an autograph. I happened to be strolling by so I got in line as the second person. The guy in front of me handed her a $20 and she didn’t have change for it. She started frantically looking in her purse for change so I told her I had four $5 bills and could make change for her. She was very relieved and pumped my hand several times thanking me for helping her out.<br /><br /><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379188227695332898" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_T6QNT39-HnQ/Sqa3MWO-TiI/AAAAAAAAAPk/x-4JREcDa7w/s400/annefrancis10.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 305px;" /> One of my favorite actresses is <b>Anne Francis</b>, best known for her role in the science fiction classic “Forbidden Planet” (1956) and as TV’s first female detective, “Honey West” (a very entertaining show). Anne is loaded with personality and humor and I really enjoyed her appearance on the panel discussion. Such vivacity and humor, you couldn’t help but like her. I had gotten her autograph earlier at the show and on the last day of the show rode down with her in the hotel elevator. I asked how her hand was holding up as she had been signing autographs all day and she said she was fine. As we hit the ground floor and the elevator doors opened up I said to her, “It was a great pleasure meeting you. I hope you have a safe trip home.”<br /><br />She seemed really taken aback by this, but then gave me a huge smile, put her hand out to shake and said, “Well, thank you very much. You know, it was really nice meeting you.” I floated out of that elevator like I had just won the lottery.<br /><br /><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379190419842034562" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_T6QNT39-HnQ/Sqa5L8nea4I/AAAAAAAAASM/YY_EYFyPv8U/s400/VeronicaCarlson.bmp" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 243px;" /></div><br /><div><b>Veronica Carlson</b> was one of the most beautiful women to ever grace a Hammer movie, and her warmth and approachability makes her a favorite guest at conventions. Of the three horror conventions I’ve gone to on the East Coast, she’s been a guest at all three. At the third one she saw us in the lobby and said, “I’ve met you before haven’t I? You come to these quite often don’t you?” I didn’t know whether to be embarrassed or pleased that she recognized me. Ahhhh, I gotta go with the former. We did sit across from her at a revival showing of “Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed” (1969), and it was weird watching a movie with one of its stars sitting across the aisle. Good movie, too, one of Hammer’s best.<br /><br />***<br /><br /><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379190309794069122" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_T6QNT39-HnQ/Sqa5Fip_uoI/AAAAAAAAASE/bRyCkoVgkbA/s400/SuzannaLeigh.gif" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 201px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 250px;" /></div><br /><div>While waiting for a panel discussion of some of Hammer’s leading ladies, I noticed someone trying to get into the door next to us. I got up to open it and on the other side was <b>Suzanna</b> <b>Leigh,</b> who appeared in two Hammer movies “Lust for a Vampire” (1971) and “The Lost Continent” (1968). She was also leading lady to Elvis in “Paradise, Hawaiian Style” (1966). She thanked me for letting her in and said how nervous she was. She was afraid someone was going to ask her about the movie she made with Richard Johnson and she was drawing a blank on it. She couldn’t remember the name or anything about it! I told her it was called “Deadlier Than the Male” (1967) and it was an attempt to revive the Bulldog Drummond franchise.<br /><br />She patted my hands and said, “That’s right. That’s right. That’s it.” She then walked up to the stage to take her seat for the panel discussion. I sat down, absurdly pleased with myself and thinking I had saved her from embarrassment. It was not to be, as “Deadlier Than the Male” never came up in discussion.<br /><br />***<br /><br /><b>Favorite Encounter</b><br />The following is perhaps my favorite celebrity meeting. In the late 1980s, one of the downtown Chicago hotels threw what was billed “The World’s Largest Office Christmas Party.” I don’t know if it was, but it was all for charity and attracted thousands of attendees. There was plenty of good food and drink on hand, door prizes, raffle drawings and appearances by (mainly local) celebrities. One year a bunch of us from work decided to go.<br /><br />We paid our tickets and were given a brochure of that evening’s activities. On the celebrity list I noticed that <b>Ben Davidson</b> was there. Could that be THE Ben Davidson, the former Oakland Raiders football player who also co-starred in one of the greatest movies ever made, “Conan the Barbarian” (1982)? Yes it was. (He played Rexor, one of James Earl Jones’ henchmen).<br /><br /></div><br /><div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379188327920987650" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_T6QNT39-HnQ/Sqa3SLmobgI/AAAAAAAAAPs/fzoKA0AVkdg/s400/BenDavidson.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 369px;" /></div><div>As the evening wore on, we made our way to the center where a lot of the evening’s celebrities were holding court. Sure enough, there was Big Ben. You couldn’t miss him, he was the size of a house. Ben was surrounded by a lot of young Masters of the Universe types, smoking big cigars, tossing back martinis, guzzling beer and talking football with Davidson. These guys were pretty full of themselves and, gee, couldn’t they tell that Davidson looked utterly, utterly bored? Still, I braced myself and went up to him.<br /><br />“Mr. Davidson,” I said, “I just wanted to meet you and tell you how much I enjoyed your performance in ‘Conan.’ You were great in it and it’s a great movie and I just wanted to come over and tell you how much I love that movie.”<br /><br />Well let me tell you, the biggest smile in the world broke upon that man’s face and he shook my hand (it was like shaking hands with a Sherman tank) and he said, “Thanks, man. I really appreciate that. It’s so nice of you to come over.”<br /><br />Meantime I just happen to look up and all these Young Turks are shooting daggers at me, not pleased that Ben Davidson was showing so much interest in a movie nerd.<br /><br />I told him how convincing he looked wielding a sword and how great it would be if he ever played a Viking in a movie. He would be perfect. He said, “Yeah, yeah, I would love to play a Viking warrior.” He added that he loved making Conan, loved working with Arnold, loved writer-director John Milius, and just treasured the whole experience.<br /><br />I didn’t ask for it, but he gave me a personalized autograph photo shook my hand again (I think it almost came off that time), told me how much he appreciated my coming over and recognizing him from Conan.<br /><br />And yep, the Yuppies were still shooting me hate looks. It was great.<br /><br /></div>http://kevinsmoviecorner.blogspot.com/2013/06/reprint-celebrity-encounters-over-years.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Deany)14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229.post-6550814852821679231Wed, 12 Jun 2013 15:11:00 +00002013-06-12T08:11:18.705-07:00Barry FitzgeraldBing CrosbyGoing My WayWelcome StrangerWelcome Stranger<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cy537oEcGlc/UbY_inaO_qI/AAAAAAAACAg/uL0ontzS5hM/s1600/WelcomeStrangerPoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cy537oEcGlc/UbY_inaO_qI/AAAAAAAACAg/uL0ontzS5hM/s320/WelcomeStrangerPoster.jpg" width="212" /></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iJcYaespP1U/UbY_mw_HF-I/AAAAAAAACAo/BX5mtorZG5Q/s1600/WelcomeStrangerShaving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yyls3et4GjM/UbY_r0OlLQI/AAAAAAAACAw/zwVGzDjiisk/s1600/WelcomeStrangerSleighRide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bRLdTzBtz-o/UbZADgU01NI/AAAAAAAACA4/Qs3y0RPfevY/s1600/WelcomeStrangerGoingWay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">“Welcome Stranger” (1947) would likely play well for those who like Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald but find “Going My Way” (1944) too treacly for words. Both Crosby and Fitzgerald won acting Oscars for their roles in that film, and the film itself took the Best Picture Oscar that year, a feat that strikes many today as representing everything that’s wrong about the Academy Awards. More on that later. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Replace priests with doctors and you have the template for “Welcome Stranger.” Barry Fitzgerald plays Dr. Joseph McRory, a general practitioner in a small town in Maine who is scheduled to take his first vacation in years. While he’s away, he consults with the area medical board to arrange a substitute while he is away. Said substitute is Dr. Jim Pearson (Bing Crosby) who McRory had had some earlier humorous encounters (not to McRory) on the train. McRory doesn’t like Pearson and plans to stick around a bit (and localizes his fishing vacation much more than he planned) to make sure Pearson doesn’t muck up the works. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iJcYaespP1U/UbY_mw_HF-I/AAAAAAAACAo/BX5mtorZG5Q/s1600/WelcomeStrangerShaving.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iJcYaespP1U/UbY_mw_HF-I/AAAAAAAACAo/BX5mtorZG5Q/s320/WelcomeStrangerShaving.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The townspeople are initially aloof to the substitute doctor – no Southern hospitality here – and Pearson is ready to leave on the first train. But like the situation in “Going My Way” the two doctors learn to eventually like and respect each other, finding that new ideas and old fashioned common sense – and experience – can do wonders when handling various medical crises that pop up.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Helping Pearson stay is local schoolteacher Trudy Mason (Joan Caulfield), fiancée of town pharmacist Roy Chesley (Robert Shayne, years before playing Inspector Henderson on the “Superman” TV series). Chesley’s father C.J. (Charles Dingle) practically runs the town and is anxious for both doctors to leave so he can put his own man in as head of the new hospital planned for the area. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Kn5EfY6x05M/UbY_dYbtNEI/AAAAAAAACAY/vPK8YFTGWjE/s1600/WelcomeStrangerDance.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Kn5EfY6x05M/UbY_dYbtNEI/AAAAAAAACAY/vPK8YFTGWjE/s320/WelcomeStrangerDance.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Crosby and Fitzgerald are wonderful together and beautifully complement each other – the easy, laid back Crosby against the quirky and often befuddled (but always alert) Fitzgerald. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">There’s an easy charm that permeates the whole film, but all is not saccharine and light. Originally the townspeople aren’t very friendly and there’s a story line concerning newspaper Bill Walters (Frank Faylen) who drinks too much and is on the verge of becoming a full blown alcoholic, much to the dismay of daughter Emily (Wanda Hendrix). </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The songs by Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke are very pleasant, with standouts being “Country Style” (a terrific square dance number, with Bing doing the calling. Is there any type of music Bing could not handle with seeming ease?) and the beautifully haunting “As Long As I’m Dreaming.” The latter is sung at the end of a long sleigh ride with Pearson and Trudy snuggled up amongst other townspeople. Other couples are necking, except Bing and Joan. Joan doesn’t seem too concerned, as she has Bing singing to her. Anybody can neck, few can croon. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yyls3et4GjM/UbY_r0OlLQI/AAAAAAAACAw/zwVGzDjiisk/s1600/WelcomeStrangerSleighRide.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yyls3et4GjM/UbY_r0OlLQI/AAAAAAAACAw/zwVGzDjiisk/s320/WelcomeStrangerSleighRide.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The scene is beautifully lit and its one of my favorite Crosby moments ever. A few years ago I had a co-worker who told me she was going to spend Christmas in Vermont, where she was born. I asked her, “Where you raised in a Bing Crosby movie?” I was thinking, of course, of “White Christmas” (1954) but subconsciously was also thinking of that sleigh gracefully making its way through the darkened New England snowscape, and Bing singing a love song as only Bing could. It’s a lovely, lovely moment. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">As I said earlier, I suspect that viewers may take more to “Welcome Stranger” than “Going My Way” the latter being an incredulous Os car winner to many. But I’ve always thought the Oscars were as much a barometer for what was going on in the world at the time as it is for honoring the best in cinema. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bRLdTzBtz-o/UbZADgU01NI/AAAAAAAACA4/Qs3y0RPfevY/s1600/WelcomeStrangerGoingWay.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bRLdTzBtz-o/UbZADgU01NI/AAAAAAAACA4/Qs3y0RPfevY/s320/WelcomeStrangerGoingWay.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">Two years ago “The Artist” won and I suspect that Oscar voters saw themselves in the same predicament as the film’s protagonist George Valentin, who was worried about the effect of talking movies on his career. Surely among that year’s Oscar voters were many technicians, set designers, costumers, and yes, performers worried about their futures. Why design sets and costumes when some computer whizzes can design a set and dress an actor using computers?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Last year’s winner “Argo”, while terrific entertainment, was hardly the year’s best film. But it spoke to a world yearning for solutions to the Middle East crisis where the good guys achieve victory without any killing.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">“Going My Way” came out in 1944, while World War II was still raging. The studios were primed in the war years to product morale-boosting movies, both for the home front and the troops overseas. America and the rest of the civilized world were sacrificing their children and families to ensure that civilization would not crumble under Fascism and tyranny. A country that could produce “Going My Way”, showing the best of humanity and what the troops can look forward to coming home to, resonated with critics, audiences and Academy members in ways that seem foreign to us today. It likely would not have won if it had been produced after the war, but during World War II it was the right picture at the right time. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">“Welcome Stranger” may not be as well-remembered as “Going My Way” but it is its equal in charm and tunefulness. It’s a most engaging movie, one I look forward to re-visiting in the future. </div>http://kevinsmoviecorner.blogspot.com/2013/06/welcome-stranger.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Deany)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229.post-3496787462169212938Thu, 30 May 2013 00:47:00 +00002013-05-30T11:55:27.064-07:00John WayneJohn Wayne Birthplace MuseumMaureen O'HaraA Weekend with Maureen O'Hara <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hpGvI1M4NsQ/UaYXaHTXc5I/AAAAAAAAB_Y/ZlCWMlzgQZA/s1600/OHaraTribute.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="98" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hpGvI1M4NsQ/UaYXaHTXc5I/AAAAAAAAB_Y/ZlCWMlzgQZA/s320/OHaraTribute.jpg" width="320" /></a> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">I had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend in Winterset, IA at the John Wayne Birthday Celebration. The weekend was a billed as “A Tribute to Maureen O’Hara” and the great lady appeared in person, in what was billed as her last public appearance. It was a real thrill to see and hear her in person.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Before I go any further, a few caveats. I did not get to meet her and I didn’t take any pictures. I’m not a picture person and don’t own a camera. But there are some wonderful pictures of the weekend online, in far better quality than I could have taken. Please visit the John Wayne Birthplace site <a href="http://www.johnwaynebirthplace.org/news.html">http://www.johnwaynebirthplace.org/news.html</a> for a vast array of wonderful pictures of the entire weekend. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hpGvI1M4NsQ/UaYXaHTXc5I/AAAAAAAAB_Y/ZlCWMlzgQZA/s1600/OHaraTribute.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">Also, I’m somewhat embarrassed to say, I didn’t think about blogging about the event until I was driving home, so I didn’t take notes or anything like that. Bad, bad blogger. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6d8pGy926k0/UaYX3NelfbI/AAAAAAAACAA/DHoOGeU7p2M/s1600/OHaraRioGrande.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6d8pGy926k0/UaYX3NelfbI/AAAAAAAACAA/DHoOGeU7p2M/s320/OHaraRioGrande.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">Because of the 5.5-hour drive from Chicago’s western suburbs to Winterset, I missed Friday morning’s ceremonial groundbreaking ceremony for the John Wayne Birthplace Museum, which Ms. O’Hara attended, along with John Wayne’s daughter Aissa. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I didn’t arrive in Winterset, IA until Friday night for the square dance where Ms. O’Hara put in an appearance. She’s 92 years old and in a wheelchair, but looks as lively as ever and when she spoke at Saturday night’s dinner the voice was sure and strong, with no hesitation or shakiness at all. And that brogue was as vibrant as ever. One can’t mistake Maureen O’Hara’s voice for anyone else’s.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">There were lots of people in line to have their picture taken with Ms. O’Hara, but after awhile they were asked to stop, as the constant flashes irritated her eyes. I didn’t have a camera with me and thought about going over there just to say hello, but there were so many people around her I didn’t want to add to the crowd.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Besides, what could I say to her that she hasn’t heard a million times already? The only thing I could think of that she may not have heard so much is she is one of my favorite swashbucklers. Sure she’s known for the movies she made with John Wayne and John Ford, and “Miracle on 34<sup>th</sup> Street” (1947) and “The Parent Trap” (1961), but I have a fondness for those adventure movies she made at RKO and Universal. Watch her dueling scenes as a Musketeer’s daughter in “At Sword’s Point” (1952) or alongside Errol Flynn in “Against All Flags” (1952). She’s an absolute natural and looks to be doing her own fighting. What a gal! So I could have told her how much I enjoy her swashbuckling movies, which she probably didn’t hear that weekend, but I just didn’t feel like bothering her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rQomWJmQLZI/UaYXh7jcLlI/AAAAAAAAB_g/JX2qweIfcDE/s1600/OharaAgainstAllFlags.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rQomWJmQLZI/UaYXh7jcLlI/AAAAAAAAB_g/JX2qweIfcDE/s320/OharaAgainstAllFlags.jpg" width="231" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">Concurrently, I thought about saying hello to John Wayne’s daughter Aissa, also in attendance, but again, so many people had crowded around her to talk to her that I didn’t feel like adding to the situation. It was just a pleasure to be there. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Instead, I enjoyed the live music that evening and conversations I had with John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara fans from around the country. A walk through the parking lot saw license plates from as far away as Massachusetts, New York, Texas and Georgia. Over the course of the weekend I had conversations from people in those states, along with Kansas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Illinois and Ohio. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Speaking to these people, I thought about Wayne’s and O’Hara’s continuing appeal. True, the crowd skewered older, but there were lots of families there, along with people in their 20s, 30s and 40s. I’d be hard pressed to think of any actor who has been dead for more than 30 years, or any actress who has not made a movie in more than 20 years, to generate this kind of affection and to have people get in their cars and drive hundreds of miles to be a part of a weekend. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The weather throughout the weekend wasn’t particularly pleasant, being rainy, cold and overcast most of the weekend. One would think that the Duke, of all people, would have enough pull with The Man Upstairs to arrange some nice weather for his birthday celebration weekend, but it was not to be. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The Iowa Theater, located in downtown Winterset, showed all five John Wayne/Maureen O’Hara movies daily Friday through Sunday. I attended an 11:30 a.m. Saturday showing of “The Quiet Man” (1952).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I got there at 11:10 and had to sit in the front row, the only seats available. The entire audience, represented by children and senior citizens and everyone in between, laughed and cheered throughout. John Wayne’s first appearance got a round of applause, but Maureen O’Hara’s unforgettable entrance in the movie doubled the Duke’s appearance by a wide margin. I don’t think the Duke would have minded that at all. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eDBf1Zn1oQo/UaYXxb95vgI/AAAAAAAAB_4/KPW3p93JDGg/s1600/OHaraQuietMan.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eDBf1Zn1oQo/UaYXxb95vgI/AAAAAAAAB_4/KPW3p93JDGg/s320/OHaraQuietMan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Composer Victor Young’s name had one person cheering for him – it wasn’t me. I suspect it was someone who has responded to the score, not realizing the background score is made of up Irish folk songs and music. (I think the cue for the horse race – a marvelous cue – is original to Young, but I could be wrong). </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">After visiting the John Wayne boyhood home and visiting the gift shop (I picked up an “Old Guys Rule” T-shirt with a picture of John Wayne on the back), I drove back to West Des Moines to my hotel where I showered and suited up for the big night. At $125 a plate (proceeds going to the John Wayne Birthplace Museum), and with Ms. O’Hara attending in person, I didn’t want to slack off. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It was a wonderful dinner, with a sell-out crowd of more than 800 people in attendance.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Singer Catherine O’Connell traveled from Chicago to sing several of the songs featured in “The Quiet Man”. Chicago was also represented by the Shannon Rovers Irish Pipe Band, who accompanied Irish dancers the McKay Sisters. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">An auction netted more than $30,000 for the John Wayne Birthplace Museum. Some amazing items were auctioned off including a jacket worn by Wayne in “Hellfighters” (1969) and a shirt worn by Wayne throughout most of “The Cowboys” (1972). </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ebPL-XAnfmw/UaYYL2WiQbI/AAAAAAAACAI/gAPrIUJKW2g/s1600/OharaWingsofEagles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ebPL-XAnfmw/UaYYL2WiQbI/AAAAAAAACAI/gAPrIUJKW2g/s320/OharaWingsofEagles.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">Iowa Governor Terry Branstad declared May 25, 2013 as Maureen O’Hara Day in Iowa and the Greater Madison County Community Foundation presented a check for $25,000 to the Birthplace Museum. Construction on the Museum is expected to take place soon. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">There was a very nice video tribute given showcasing Ms. O’Hara’s career (no swashbuckling scenes, alas) and then one of Ms. O’Hara’s family members (yep, should have taken notes) read a statement thanking everyone for their kindness to the family during the long weekend. He said Maureen had been looking forward to it for a long time and they thanked everyone in the room, and the state of Iowa, for being so friendly and welcoming to them. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">And then the lady herself was presented with a microphone and speaking from her wheelchair, mentioned her great love for Wayne, who she called her best friend. Director John Ford was singled out. She said he was very tough and could be very mean, but one put up with it because they knew they were making something great. Everyone was eager to sign on to the next project he was involved in. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-knNiYFgC2p8/UaYXsux8ueI/AAAAAAAAB_w/SUtYyO-AE7s/s1600/OHaraMcLintock.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-knNiYFgC2p8/UaYXsux8ueI/AAAAAAAAB_w/SUtYyO-AE7s/s320/OHaraMcLintock.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">All in all, I had a most marvelous weekend. I got to see and hear Maureen O’Hara in person, contributed to a most worthwhile cause, met a lot of very nice people and got to see “The Quiet Man” on the big screen.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">If anything was a disappointment it was I really didn’t get to see Maureen O’Hara up close and that was my fault.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>I was seated at one of the table’s upfront and an announcement was made that dinner would start in 10 minutes. I thought this would be a good time to use the bathroom. I made my way to the other side of the room – a far piece – and was just finishing washing my hands when I heard this loud roar of cheers and applause. Sure enough it was Maureen’s arrival from a side entrance and while she didn’t go right past our table, she came fairly close. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">When the dinner was over some three-and-a-half hours later, and everyone was milling around, I again took the opportunity to use the bathroom. Once more, coming out I heard cheering and the clapping of hands. Yep, Maureen O’Hara was leaving the building. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Stupid bladder.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">To learn more about the John Wayne boyhood home and progress on the John Wayne Birthplace Museum, visit <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>http://www.johnwaynebirthplace.org/</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_ZBrm6wYO14/UaYXm59t6DI/AAAAAAAAB_o/UKaAVKaJ01w/s1600/OHaraBigJake.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_ZBrm6wYO14/UaYXm59t6DI/AAAAAAAAB_o/UKaAVKaJ01w/s320/OHaraBigJake.jpg" width="223" /></a> </div>http://kevinsmoviecorner.blogspot.com/2013/05/a-weekend-with-maureen-ohara.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Deany)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229.post-2647774062193027975Wed, 08 May 2013 14:02:00 +00002013-05-08T07:02:17.201-07:00Alfred NewmanC. Aubrey SmithDavid NivenDouglas Fairbanks Jr.Janes Wong HoweJohn CromwellMary AstorRaymond MasseyRonald ColmanThe Prisoner of ZendaThe Mary Astor Blogathon: The Prisoner of Zenda (1937)&nbsp; <style>st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ijO0U6I4khs/UYf77ec22VI/AAAAAAAAB9w/e0n2s7s7bSc/s1600/ZendaPoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ijO0U6I4khs/UYf77ec22VI/AAAAAAAAB9w/e0n2s7s7bSc/s320/ZendaPoster.jpg" width="207" /></a><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Toward the close of the last century, when History still wore a Rose, and Politics had not yet outgrown the waltz, a great Royal Scandal was whispered about in the Anterooms of Europe. However true it was, any resemblance in ‘The Prisoner of Zenda’ to Heroes, Villains, Heroines, living or dead, is coincidence not intended.” </i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Thus begins “The Prisoner of Zenda” (1937), one of the genuine jewels from Hollywood’s Golden Age, a marvelous entertainment on every level and one of the greatest romantic swashbucklers ever made. It offers several career-best performances, luscious black and white photography, wonderful costumes, a glorious Alfred Newman score and a truly literate and witty screenplay. “The Prisoner of Zenda” is one of those happy instances where all the right people were in the right place at the right time. Above all, it could be one of the most perfectly cast movies ever. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Some movies take a bit to warm up to. With others, it’s apparent from the very start that something magical is about to take place. “The Prisoner of Zenda” is the latter. With its scene of a row of immaculately dressed trumpeters shown onscreen playing a thrilling Alfred Newman fanfare, and an honor roll of a cast – Ronald Colman, Madeleine Carroll, C. Aubrey Smith, Raymond Massey, Mary Astor, David Niven and Douglas Fairbanks Jr., all appearing in a story “From the celebrated novel by Anthony Hope” I was hooked. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">And when that aforementioned title card comes up right after the credits, one is ready to sit back and enjoy. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">“The Prisoner of Zenda” tells the oft-filmed story of Rudolf Rassendyll, an Englishman on a fishing vacation in the mythical Central European kingdom of Ruritania. He’s an identical double for the king (and distant cousin) Rudolph V, about to be crowned the next day. When the fast-living king is drugged on the eve of his coronation, Rassendyll agrees to take his place at the coronation until the king can be revived. Immediate suspects to the drugging are the king’s power hungry half brother Michael (Raymond Massey) and his henchman Rupert of Hentzau (Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., in the performance of his career). </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2g-yrafq3kA/UYf7oYcxhCI/AAAAAAAAB84/vaAfvIgasP0/s1600/ZendaColmanCarroll.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2g-yrafq3kA/UYf7oYcxhCI/AAAAAAAAB84/vaAfvIgasP0/s320/ZendaColmanCarroll.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Rassendyll falls in love with the king’s betrothed Princess Flavia (Madeleine Carroll), and she with him. She can’t get over the change to the man she formerly despised. When the king is kidnapped, Rassendyll continues the charade until the king can be found and restored to the throne. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HG5A77cfNhM/UYf7ECNzyrI/AAAAAAAAB8k/4u4LJcuCjJo/s1600/ZendaAstorMassey.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HG5A77cfNhM/UYf7ECNzyrI/AAAAAAAAB8k/4u4LJcuCjJo/s320/ZendaAstorMassey.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">So where does Mary Astor fit into all of this? She plays Antoinette de Mauban, the mistress of Michael. Hers is probably the most nuanced, and adult, portrayal in the movie. This is not meant as a slight to the other cast members. Everyone is at the top of their game. But Antoinette’s character centers the movie with real emotion. She genuinely loves Michael and thinks he is in love with her. But Rupert knows everyone’s Achilles Heel and he zeroes in on hers, which is Michael.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Rupert taunts her, telling her that as king, Michael will have to marry Flavia. If she thinks Michael will renounce Flavia and marry his mistress, does she have a surprise in store for her. Astor reacts marvelously in these scenes. One can almost see the yearning, hope and crushing realization crossing her face all at the same time.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">She’s probably the most adult character in the film, giving the film an edge that plays against, but well, with the story’s more swashbuckling fantasy element. It’s not a large role, but it is a key one. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">“The Prisoner of Zenda” offers my favorite Ronald Colman performance. 1937 was a great year for Colman with this and his other signature role in “Lost Horizon.” But the essence of Colman’s popularity is here. The beautiful speaking voice, the courtly manners, the wit and the style are all there. He’s fairly mature for a swashbuckling hero, but no one can charm like Ronald Colman. And that voice! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. If there’s such a thing as reincarnation, I want to come back as Ronald Colman’s speaking voice. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j2haJQztPsQ/UYf7kG4IvmI/AAAAAAAAB8w/oWBwK0qO_Ik/s1600/ZendaConversation.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j2haJQztPsQ/UYf7kG4IvmI/AAAAAAAAB8w/oWBwK0qO_Ik/s320/ZendaConversation.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I love his expression when he’s listening to Rupert’s plans to do away with everyone else and only leave the two of them standing. Rupert calls Rassendyll “the play actor” and tells him “You and I are the only ones worth saving” out of the whole mess. Rassendyll is as amused by Rupert’s plotting as Rupert is in hatching it. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cyFfUliHOUU/UYf7zbpx6tI/AAAAAAAAB9Q/bGy-EkRYFA0/s1600/ZendaFairbanks.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cyFfUliHOUU/UYf7zbpx6tI/AAAAAAAAB9Q/bGy-EkRYFA0/s320/ZendaFairbanks.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">The other great performance is Douglas Fairbanks Jr.’s Rupert. It’s a joy to see him in every scene. Despite committing several murders on-screen and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>ready to break a promise to not kill Rassendyll (as he holds a gun in his hand), he’s the most charming rogue and villain in swashbuckling movie history. The man gleefully grins from ear to ear at his own nefarious plots. He actually gets away at the end, and I for one am ready to cheer when he does so. I never felt that way about Basil Rathbone, George Sanders or George Macready in their costume villainous portrayals. Bur Fairbanks trumps all of them. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">(And for the life I can’t figure out how this got past the Hays Office. Censorship mores at the time demanded the villain be properly punished for his deeds at the end, but here Rupert gets off scot-free. Methinks he charmed the censors as much as he charms the audience. Author Hope did write a sequel called “Rupert of Hentzau” but when did a little thing like that ever affect the Hays Office.) </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Fairbanks was initially reluctant to take on the role, due to its supporting nature. His famous father told him to can it, Rupert was the best role in the story and he would be a fool to forsake it. He thankfully took his dad’s advice. One does regret he didn’t do more roles like this. He should have received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor and he should have won that year. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">James Wong Howe’s photography can’t be beat. The film boasts one of the most famous pull backs in movie history, as the Rassendyll and Princess Flavia make their first appearance at the coronation ball. The shot stars in on a close up and then pulls back the length of the ballroom as the two descend down the stairs and past a long row of bowing subjects.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0gJ3yPkzz_M/UYf7uPrgUYI/AAAAAAAAB9E/jxZqNdpe1jg/s1600/ZendaDuel.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0gJ3yPkzz_M/UYf7uPrgUYI/AAAAAAAAB9E/jxZqNdpe1jg/s320/ZendaDuel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The later castle dungeon scenes are marvelously evocative, with lighting from nearby a fireplace and flickering candles highlighting the final action as Rasendyll sneaks into the castle to save the king before he can be killed. The black and white contrast scenes are marvelous to behold and some of the scenes are gorgeous enough to frame. If Ansel Adams ever decided to photograph swashbuckling action in a castle, his scenes would look like something out of “The Prisoner of Zenda.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Madeleine Carroll makes just about the loveliest princess imaginable. Not just physical beauty (which Carroll most certainly has), but a warmth and generosity that makes her instantly appealing. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M7s50szZ_ug/UYf8oGmra5I/AAAAAAAAB-I/13fv_s8sp5s/s1600/ZendaColmanAstor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zf6jaDYF1aA/UYf73V5hRqI/AAAAAAAAB9c/2y96X2VkF78/s1600/ZendaFinale.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zf6jaDYF1aA/UYf73V5hRqI/AAAAAAAAB9c/2y96X2VkF78/s320/ZendaFinale.jpg" width="299" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">The film’s final scene between Flavia and Rassendyll is one of the greatest farewells in movie history and I think it’s every bit as good as the similar scene in “Casablanca.” (1942). After Flavia has been told who Rassendyll really is, she asks to see him. Rassendyll tell her that he has been an imposter in everything but his love for her and he invites her to throw away her cares and duties and follow him to England. She tells him she was born to those cares and duties and that honor binds a woman’s heart too, as much as any man. It’s beautifully played and written, and if “Casablanca” had never been made, I think this scene would win as the ultimate self-sacrifice scene in movie history.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Interestingly, it was a scene that came about amidst much controversy. The film was in production when Edward VIII elected to abdicate the English throne in order to marry the American socialite Wallis Simpson. No honor for Edward, and producer David O. Selznick was worried that this scene in “The Prisoner of Zenda” might be seen as a condemnation towards Edward. There was some talk about changing the ending, but wiser heads prevailed. (Still, one wonders if Edward had been allowed to keep the throne and marry Wallis Simpson, if Selznick would have done the same with Rudolf and Flavia).</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Director John Cromwell stresses the film’s romantic aspects over the adventurous ones. Most of the action is confined to the castle raid, and the older Colman is clearly doubled in the long shots during the duel between Rassendyll and Rupert. The dialogue between the two as they parry and thrust is a delight. This is one swashbuckler where the words are more important than the action. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The film’s final goodbye scene between Rudolf, Col. Zapt and Fritz, backed by that glorious Alfred Newman music (with wordless chorus chiming in) and Rudolf riding away in the distance with a tip of his hat, is just about one of the greatest endings ever and never fails to bring a lump to my throat. Just glorious and wonderful in equal measures. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M7s50szZ_ug/UYf8oGmra5I/AAAAAAAAB-I/13fv_s8sp5s/s1600/ZendaColmanAstor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M7s50szZ_ug/UYf8oGmra5I/AAAAAAAAB-I/13fv_s8sp5s/s320/ZendaColmanAstor.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">When looking at Mary Astor’s credits, I’m always impressed with her participation in several landmarks movies in their particular genres. In addition to Zenda, she graced two of the greatest private eye movies ever, one in the 1930s “The Kennel Murder Case” (1933) and one in the 1940s “The Maltese Falcon” (1941). Drama - her Academy Award-winning role in the splendid woman’s movie “The Great Lie” (1941). Musical – her warm mother portrayal in the immortal “Meet Me in St. Louis” (1944). Comedy - roles in two of the greatest comedies ever made “Midnight” (1939) and in “The Palm Beach Story” (1942) (as the Princess Centimillia!)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">“Dodsworth” (1936) is one of the finest literary adaptations ever, and “The Hurricane” (1937) ranks among the top disaster movies of all time, and the historically important “Don Juan” (1926), the first film to feature a synchronized score and sound effects impresses today with its wit, sweep and action. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Admittedly, Mary Astor may not be the first name that comes to mind when one thinks of these films. Undoubtedly though, she is an essential part of the success of these films, and one can’t imagine any of them without her participation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>She remains one of the most underrated figures from Hollywood’s Golden Age and if this Mary Astor blogathon attracts much deserved attention to her career, it will be a grand thing indeed. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--L7Kn4mGeNc/UYf69xuoqfI/AAAAAAAAB8Y/P53hgXUOhEQ/s1600/ZendaBlogathonAstor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--L7Kn4mGeNc/UYf69xuoqfI/AAAAAAAAB8Y/P53hgXUOhEQ/s320/ZendaBlogathonAstor.jpg" width="285" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">To read more about this woman and her amazing career visit the Mary Astor blogathon page to see the schedule and what films are being covered. </div><div class="MsoNormal">http://doriantb.blogspot.com/p/astor.html</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>http://kevinsmoviecorner.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-mary-astor-blogathon-prisoner-of.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Deany)20